Reaction Rate
by justcloseyoureyes24
Summary: Jeff is just a boy with a crush and an inability to understand Chemistry. Nick is just an oblivious lacrosse star that's beginning to fall for that shy blonde kid that sits in front of him in English. And Math. And History. This is the story of what happens when Kurt and Blaine decide that the boys need a bit of a push in the right direction.
1. Chemistry

**A/N: Soooo. Niff anybody? I got the idea in my chemistry class toward the end of the term and have been fighting the urge to write it for a while. Comments are always loved! ;)**

**xxx, Elizabeth**

* * *

**Chemistry**

* * *

"Sterling? Sterling?" Kurt glanced at his hopeless blonde lab partner who was currently so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't seem to hear their teacher call his name for probably the fifth time.

The brunette, quickly growing impatient with his friend, kicked Jeff's chair, throwing the boy off balance enough to the point where he snapped back into reality—and almost fell off the stool he was balancing on. "Jeff!" Kurt whispered harshly. "Ms. Bentley just called you five times. I swear to some higher spirit that if you don't answer her, I will come into your room and mess with your music library until it only plays 20th Century era songs that are so bad that they shouldn't exist."

The blonde cringed at the thought. Baroque, he could handle. 20th Century? Not so much. "Yes Ms. Bentley?"

The young chemistry teacher crossed her arms with impatience. "Jeffrey, I asked you two minutes ago to explain the difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions."

Jeff tapped his fingers anxiously, trying to think up an excuse not to answer, for he had no idea what he was being asked to do. "Well, Ms. B, while I would love to enlighten you, it seems as though Kurt is aching to answer this specific inquiry of yours. It would be cruel to deprive him of this, wouldn't you agree?" He looked at Kurt with pleading eyes, begging his friend to go along with it.

Kurt smirked at the blonde's poor excuse, and began talking before the teacher could object. "Well, Ms. Bentley, endothermic reactions occur when heat or energy is absorbed and exothermic reactions occur when heat or energy is released. These types of reactions have a direct link to entropy levels." After closing his spiel, Kurt casually went back to filing his nails.

Ms. Bentley smiled at Kurt, "Thank you Mr. Hummel, but in the future, allow Mr. Sterling to answer the question on his own. Can we do that?" Without looking up, Kurt nodded. Chemistry just clicked for him. He found it necessary to use that to his advantage and help out the other students when they struggled. The class also allowed him to catch up on filing his nails, so there was some sort of point to it even if it wasn't what the teacher would have expected. "Alright, now can everyone turn their books to chapter six and read the section on reaction rate? I have to step out of the room for a few moments. When I return, I would appreciate a detailed explanation on how to hasten the rate of reaction," she paused and looked around the room, "from someone other than Kurt, please."

Kurt sighed. He had familiarized himself with the specific section weeks in advance and was now reading chapter eleven in the book. How everyone else in his class was so slow, he could not fathom. Pushing the book to the side, he turned his attention to Jeff who was now busy scribbling something in his notebook. "Jeff?"

The blonde jumped two feet off his stool at the sudden voice beside him. When he recovered, he flipped his notebook, so Kurt could not read what had been inscribed on the page. "Yeah, Kurt?"

"Well, I was going to ask you why you weren't paying attention, but now your notebook seems to be catching my attention. May I see it?" He grabbed for the notebook before Jeff realized what was happening.

Jeff attempted to pull the notebook back, but Kurt had a stronger hold on it and practically threw the blonde across the room when he snagged it. "Kurt, please don't read that."

Kurt smirked. "And why shouldn't I?"

"You don't see me trying to read all the poems and such in your notebook that you write about Anderson, do you?"

Kurt blushed hard at the mention of the boy who he considered to be his best friend. "Jeff! Blaine is not—I don't like him that way. I _have_ a boyfriend."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. And I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind I informed him on just how much time you spend with B?"

Kurt smiled at the thought of his endearing blonde—much more endearing than this obnoxious blonde in front of him—boyfriend of nearly two years. "No, he wouldn't. Sam isn't the jealous type. He knows me and Blaine are friends."

"Yes, he also knows _we_ are friends. Stop lying to me about how you don't care about Blaine. It's obvious that you do."

Kurt picked up his rather large text book and smiled deviously. "Sterling, I swear to God. If you don't shut up right this moment, I will smack you upside the head with this book."

"Kurt, what are you doing?" a new voice appeared behind Kurt, causing the brunette to drop the book in his hands. It fell to the floor with a loud _clang_ that caused Jeff to burst out laughing.

Kurt spun around in his seat to greet the newcomer. "Blaine! W—what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to ask you about this whole chemistry thing," Blaine looked up questioningly at Jeff who just laughed even louder, "but when I came over, it looked like you were about to attack Jeff with that book."

"I—I—well—umm, I was trying to get Jeff's notebook to see who he's been daydreaming about all period, but he won't give in."

Blaine smiled at the blonde, "Aww, Jeffy! You've found yourself a girlfriend? Good for you, bro." He nudged the boy's shoulder affectionately. "What's her name?"

Jeff blushed. And when Jeff blushes, it's not the kind that goes unnoticed. The scarlet color spreads across his entire face in deep contrast with his pale hair. "Umm, I think you're missing something there Blaine."

Kurt was overcome with giggles, and resigned to picking up his textbook and preparing an explanation for Ms. Bentley as to why no one else in the room could properly explain the concept they were all supposed to be studying.

Jeff flashed a glare at Kurt, but resigned to turning back to Blaine. "Well, for one thing, you've gotten my team wrong." Jeff bit his lip and looked up awkwardly at the small boy in front of him. "I'm not—well, I mean. I guess I could—"

Kurt rolled his eyes and gave up on the text book. He wouldn't need it to explain anyways. "What Jeff is trying to say—and failing at miserably, I might add—is that he is bisexual. At least. He isn't quite sure yet. But I'm guessing from his stammering that it's a boy that is currently occupying his thoughts. What I was trying to get out of him—possibly through an act of violence—when you walked over is who exactly this boy is."

Blaine laughed as he listened to Kurt talking and he casually let his eyes wander to take in Kurt's full appearance. And _damn. Kurt looked too good today. It should not be possible for their uniform to look that good on someone._ "Blaine?" Kurt asked after a moment of awkward silence.

Blaine shook his thoughts away, immediately snapping back to reality. "What? Sorry. Lost in thought."

Jeff smirked, "Kurt's asking if you want to help him figure out who I like. Sounds like he's planning some crazy plan to set us up."

Blaine's smile widened at the idea, "Sounds great. So, Jeff, who's the mystery guy?"

Kurt's eyes narrowed, but the smile on his face ruined his attempt at looking intimidating. "Or are we gonna have to force it out of you?"

"I swear. If you guys were normal and just asked me like civilized human beings, you might already know by now."

Kurt smirked, "Bothering you is more fun, Jeffrey. If I was normal, you wouldn't like me half as much as you do."

Jeff quirked an eyebrow up at his friend and smiled, "Since when do I like you? I thought we had a mutual understanding that I'm only using you for chemistry help."

Blaine rolled his eyes, "Shut up, guys. You know you love each other. Now, Jeff, tell us."

Jeff's blush increased slightly. "Way to put me on the spot, B."

Blaine winked, "Any time, babe. Now tell us."

Jeff let out a long dramatic sigh and shrugged, "Fine. I'll tell you. It's—" he quickly looked around the room to make sure no one was listening in and motioned for the two boys to lean in closer, "it's Nick."

Kurt's head shot up in shock and he spun around to look at Nick Lantern, the boy that was always late to class and slept half the time. "_Nick Lantern?"_

Jeff hit him in the head with his notebook. "No, you idiot! Nick _Duval_. He's in my English class."

Blaine rolled his eyes, "And math. And history." Kurt shot him a surprised glance and he shrugged, "What? Nick's my friend! And me and Jeff have the same schedule."

Kurt shook his head. "So, Duval, huh?" He thought for a minute, picturing the tall blonde with the small brunette. "Interesting. Very interesting."

Mrs. Bentley returned to the room then and made Blaine return to his original seat. Jeff rushed to skim over the assigned chapter, and Kurt sat back in his seat, returning to filing his nails. The remainder of the class involves Blaine scrambling to make sense of the reaction rate chapter, Jeff scrambling to make sense of what Blaine is attempting to explain, and Kurt plotting for exactly he will set up Jeff and Nick.

Kurt decided to review his notes toward the end of the class when his eyes fall on a certain page.

_How To Speed Up Reaction Rate~_

_Increase Concentration_

_Increase Surface Area_

_Increase Temperature_

_Add A Catalyst_

_Stir_

Kurt grinned down at his notes and sends a quick text to Blaine.

**I figured out how to get Nick and Jeff together and tutor Jeff in chem at the same time. Wanna help? –K**

Kurt barely looked back up to his notes when he received a reply.

**Details! Of course I'll help –B**

* * *

"Alright, are you ready?" Kurt asked as he and Blaine walked into the cafeteria with a few other Warblers. It was their first recruiting day of the year, and they planned to make it interesting. Last year had gone particularly well, but this year the pair had two recruits in particular that they were aiming to convince to join.

Blaine smiled hesitantly. "Are you sure that the song isn't to—risqué to sing at school?"

Kurt shook his head. "You sang _Peacock _with Thad last year. This is nothing compared to that."

Blaine cringed at the memory. He still couldn't believe that Wes convinced him to sing that. And it led to rumors that he and Thad were "friends with benefits" that he was sure were still circulating in the underclassmen. Forever would he be singing Katy Perry songs to gain recruits. After all, Teenage Dream was how he landed Kurt in freshman year. "Alright, let's do this then."

Kurt shrugged his shoulders back as he heard the other Warblers beginning to harmonize behind him. He strutted forwards, hips swinging and head held high. Swinging the door open, he began to sing into the large cafeteria.

_You make me feel like I'm losing my virginity_

_The first time, every time when you touch me_

_I make you bloom like a flower that you never seen_

_Under the sun, we are one buzzing energy_

As Blaine watched Kurt sing, he couldn't help but appreciate the boy's confidence. Blaine knew full well that by the end of the day rumors would be flying about the pair, but he ignored that as he watched Kurt move around the room, followed by the eyes of countless admirers. A section of the Warblers chased Kurt as he danced around the room, and everyone in the room seemed to be eating the performance up. Everyone here loved Kurt—Blaine included.

**Let's pollinate to create a family tree**

**This evolution with you comes naturally**

**Some call it science, we call it chemistry**

**This is the story of the birds and the bees**

Blaine chased Kurt into the room with a smile on his face. He hit each note easily and smiled at Kurt as he watched him make his way toward Jeff. Blaine did as was planned and turned away from Kurt to another table on the other side of the room where he knew he would find Nick sitting.

_**Even the seasons change**_

_**Our love still stays the same**_

Kurt smirked at Jeff as he sang, wondering if the blonde realized what he was doing. As per tradition, each Warbler carried a single enveloped invitation to join the group. Kurt tapped Jeff on the shoulder as he passed by him, winking and handing him the letter.

_**You give me the hummingbird heartbeat**_

_**Spread my wings and make me fly**_

_**The taste of your honey is so sweet**_

_**When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat**_

_**Hummingbird heartbeat**_

Nick turned when he heard Blaine's voice growing louder. He turned just in time for Blaine to tap him on the shoulder the same way Kurt did. Blaine smirked at Nick and handed him the expensive looking invitation. He never really thought about joining the Warblers, but this would be the second year in a row that he was approached with an invite. Last year it wasn't from a lead, so he shrugged it off. But when a lead approaches you, the entire school looks down on you if you don't accept.

**I've flown a million miles just to find a magic seed**

**A white flower with the power to bring life to me**

**You're so exotic, got my whole body fluttering**

**Constantly craving for a taste of your sticky sweet**

Jeff smiled as he opened his invitation, internally cheering. This was his second year at Dalton, and he was heartbroken when he hadn't been approached last year. This was what he had been waiting for since the beginning of the term. The only thing that would make him happier would have been to see Nick actually notice him.

_I was on the brink of a heart attack_

_You gave me life and keep me coming back_

_I see the sun rise in your eyes, your eyes_

_We've got a future full of blue skies, blue skies_

Kurt smiled gently at Nick as he made his way toward him, taking him by the wrist and leading him toward the stage in the back of the room. He winked at Blaine who currently was leading Jeff in the same direction. The other Warblers followed their lead and brought the other inductees toward the stage.

_**Even the seasons change**_

_**Our love still stays the same**_

Kurt and Blaine met in the middle of the stage and dropped Nick and Jeff's wrists. The pair stared at each other with wide eyes, as if they had just seen each other for the first time. Kurt skipped off with Blaine as the continued their song. The way he danced around him made Blaine blush like crazy, but he held his head high and pretended that it was all just part of the act.

_**You give me the hummingbird heartbeat**_

_**Spread my wings and make me fly**_

_**The taste of your honey is so sweet**_

_**When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat**_

_**Hummingbird heartbeat**_

_You love me, you love me_

_Never love me not, not_

_When we're in perfect harmony_

_You make me sound like, like a symphony_

As Kurt hit the high note in the bridge, Blaine felt tingles running up and down his spine. He smiled widely at his friend and led him back to the stage. The song slowed down for the final chorus, and Blaine took over.

**Spread my wings and make me fly**

**The taste of your honey is so sweet**

**When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat**

Kurt fought hard throughout the entire song not to think about Blaine. That wouldn't be right. Just because Sam was at a different school and he wouldn't even know, didn't make it right to flirt so openly with Blaine. When the smaller boy came back toward him, he smiled and took his hand, but avoided any further contact.

_**Hummingbird heartbeat**_

As the song ended, the rest of the cafeteria exploded in applause for the boys on stage. Kurt beamed and grabbed the microphone, switching it on. "Good afternoon, Dalton Academy! My name is Kurt Hummel and this is Blaine Anderson. We are the co-captains of the Warblers, and we would like to introduce our inductees!"

Kurt passed the mic to Blaine, who waited for the new round of applause to die down before he could pick up where Kurt left off. "Over the next two weeks, our inductees will have a chance to listen in on Warbler meetings and take part in group numbers as well as solos. At the end of this period, a narrowed down number will be selected to be in our group. Of course, the boys will have an opportunity to decline, but we hope to see them all at this evenings meeting in the choir room."

"Thank you all for your time, and look forward to seeing several more performances throughout the week!" Kurt chimed in at the end with a smile.

Blaine flicked off the microphone and placed it back in its stand. He and Kurt proceeded to walk toward Nick and Jeff who were standing in the middle, still awkwardly aware of the other's presence. "I'd like to congratulate you two on being chosen. You have been approached by the leads because we believe you have a large amount of talent and would be essential to the success of the Warblers at competitions this year. We hope to see you at the meeting today."

Kurt laughed at how formal Blaine was being. "Yeah, congrats, guys! Hope to see you later. In case you didn't know each other, Nick Duval, this is Jeff Sterling. Jeff, this is Nick. You two will most likely be performing together at least once during the next two weeks, so I suggest you get to know each other."

With that, Kurt and Blaine walked off leaving Nick and Jeff on the now empty stage. The other Warblers and inductees were chatting throughout the room and no one paid mind to the pair still standing center-stage.

Jeff smiled shyly, "Hey, Nick. I don't know if you remember me. I'm in your English class."

The corners of Nick's mouth turned up in a smile, "And math and history."

Jeff grinned in response and nodded, "Yup, and math and history."

* * *

Hummingbird Heartbeat-Katy Perry [ _Kurt _**Blaine _both_**]

**Next Chapter: Increasing Concentration**


	2. Increasing Concentration

**A/N: Can I just say "WOW!" ? I was so surprised that there was so much positive feedback on the first chapter! So thank you everyone that commented, favorited, and added this to their alerts! You guys are all so amazing, and I'm so happy that you're all enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! **

**xxx, Elizabeth**

* * *

**Increasing Concentration**

_As concentration increases, the number of particles increase, collisions increase, and the number of activated molecules increase, speeding up the reaction rate._

* * *

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Blaine asked when the pair were sitting in the junior commons later in the day. "They seemed interested in each other in the caf earlier, but I'm not even sure if Nick's gay. How do we go about this?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Blaine! You're his _roommate._ How can you possibly not know if your roommate is gay?"

Blaine shrugged. "I guess I just never really thought about it."

"Well, you need to figure that out before we can move on! I don't wanna get Jeff's hopes up." Kurt stood and walked away, leaving Blaine to figure out what he should do. There had to be an easy way of doing this. Blaine finished folding the paper airplane he was making while talking to Kurt and threw it in the direction of the door in resignation.

And just as the airplane was about to fall to the ground, the door opened and Nick caught it in his hand. "Hey, Anderson. Watch where you throw these things. You could hurt someone."

Blaine rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Duval. So what'd you think about the Warbler thing? Think you might actually consider joining this year?"

Nick grinned as he thought back to Jeff and him standing on the stage together. Singing with him may be worth the stupid meetings. "Yeah, I think I might."

And now Blaine was wondering why Nick was grinning like that, so he decided to press. "What changed your mind?"

Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and bit his lip. "Oh, nothing. It just seems like more fun than it did before." He paused and looked around the room, waiting for Blaine to say something. When he didn't, Nick added, "Do I really get to sing with Jeff a lot?"

Blaine will never admit to it if you ask, but he flailed like a fangirl when he heard those words leave Nick's mouth. He literally fell off of the couch he was previously sprawled across. When Nick sent him an odd look, Blaine waved from where he was still lying on the ground. "Oh, don't mind me. I thought I saw a bug. Um, yes. There is definitely a possibility that you will have to sing with Jeff. You both are prospective leads, so we want to see you both in several different positions. Duets, solos, background. All essential parts will be sung by you both by the end of the next two weeks."

Nick smiled widely, "Sounds like a lot of work. I'll give it a shot, though. Why not?"

Blaine was about to let Nick walk away when a thought occurred to him. "Nick? Do you like anyone?"

Nick was caught off guard by the question, but he just smiled. "Why the sudden interest? You aren't crushing on me, are you? I thought you were still hung up on Hummel."

"I am not—" Blaine began, but stopped when Nick gave him _the look_. "Fine, maybe I am. But you didn't answer my question. Any girl—or guy—in particular?"

Nick smirked, "Guys. I like guys." The look on Blaine's face at that made him burst out laughing. "Seriously, what gives?"

Blaine shook his head, "Nothing! Nothing. I just—I need to do something." He scrambled to stand and ran out of the room.

As soon as he was out of the view of Nick, he pulled his phone out and texted Kurt.

* * *

"Honestly, Jeff, don't worry. If this goes as planned, everything will be fine. And he won't find out until you're ready," Kurt said with a sigh.

"But, Kurt! What if he figures out what's going on? You and Blaine aren't very discreet."

Kurt rolled his eyes and let out a long-winded sigh. When he was about to respond, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to find a message from Blaine

**Nick is definitely gay. What's the next step? –B**

Kurt grinned down at the text. "Trust me, Jeff. Everything will be _fine_. And honestly, the less you know, the better."

**Increase concentration, of course –K**

**What? But I'm pretty sure Jeff's as concentrated as he'll get –B**

Kurt brought the palm of his hand up to his face and groaned. "My best friend is an absolute idiot."

Jeff smirked, "Yeah, sure. Best friend." Kurt cocked and eyebrow, so Jeff decided to continue. "I saw the way your face lit up when he texted you. Stop denying it, Kurtsie. You and Blainers are in _love_."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I cannot believe you just said that. I love Sam. Not Blaine. Sam. As in Samuel Evans. The blonde boy from McKinley. The football player. Best friends with my brother. Ring a bell? Last time I checked, he and Blaine are two different people. And, though I love Blaine in the most platonic way possible, Sam will always be the one for me. Okay, Jeffrey?" Kurt got up to leave the room, but before he closed the door, he turned on his heel. "Oh, and if you ever call me Kurtsie again, I will kill you."

"Wait, Kurt! You never finished telling me about Nick!" Jeff called after him.

Kurt reappeared in the doorway with a smirk. "Give me two weeks, Sterling. Two weeks and he'll be falling straight into your arms." Kurt closed the door behind him after that and stepped backwards, only to walk into Blaine.

"Well, that sounded ominous. Oh, and I swear I heard my name somewhere in there. You guys weren't fawning over me again, were you?" Blaine said with a smile as he fell into step with Kurt.

"Since when does Kurt Hummel fawn?" the taller boy asked with a scoff. "I bet you wish I was fawning over you. I was actually telling Jeff about Sam. And about how—with the help of us—he will have Nick in two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Blaine asked, sounding a bit unsure. "How is that going to work?"

Kurt grinned. "We have the laws of chemistry on our side. It'll be fine, B. Trust me."

"What does chemistry have to do with this? Now I'm confused."

"It has everything to do with our plan, Blaine! Weren't you paying attention earlier?"

Blaine sighed, "Yes. You were talking about how we can get Jeff and Nick to react to each other quickly. There were five steps. Blah blah. Something about particles. I don't remember. I zone out when you start rambling about chem."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Then you clearly missed the entire point of our conversation. I'm going to start talking about chem again now. Are you sure you won't zone out this time?"

Blaine bit his lip to hold back a laugh and smiled. "I promise."

"Good. Okay. So what I was saying is that Jeff and Nick are like two particles. And a chemical reaction can create a bond between two particles. Now, there are five ways to increase the reaction rate between particles. If you paying attention to your own babbling in chemistry earlier, you would know all of this already, though."

"Okay, but I'm still confused. What does this have to do with Nick and Jeff?"

Kurt grinned mischievously. "Well, I got the idea during chem when Bentley said that I couldn't help out, so I started filing my nails. You know, my best ideas come to me while I'm filing my nails. Maybe I should do that more."

Blaine glanced down at Kurt's flawless manicure, "Nope. I don't think you need to. Kurt, focus!"

"Right. Okay, so we already completed the first step—get the boys in with the Warblers. That way they'll be forced to spend a lot of time together. It would have been hard to get them together any other way because Nick's always busy with lacrosse. Anyways, the first way to increase reaction rate is to increase concentration. And, yes, that means something completely different in chemistry terms, but I'm taking the more literal approach. We want the boys to both focus on getting into the Warblers."

"Oh! I think I get it! So step two is to increase concentration on getting into the Warblers?"

Kurt smiled, "Yes! You're starting to get it now! But we also need to get Nick to stop checking out everyone he sees. He's a jock, so of course that's his natural instinct. We need him to concentrate on getting Jeff."

"I think I can help with that." Blaine smirked as he remembered Nick mentioning Jeff earlier. "Just leave that part to me. Now what was your plan?"

"Well, we have the introductory meeting tonight. And as per tradition, we will assign each inductee to a duet partner. They will each have a chance to perform a non-acapella duet throughout the week. Of course, they always have the option of performing more than once, and we will have Nick and Jeff on our watch. So they will definitely perform more than once. Through practicing together, they will get to know each other better. The rest will fall into place with the rest of the steps."

"But how are we going to guarantee that they'll want to perform more than once?"

"We'll tell them that we would like to see them reach their full potential and promise them that if they can show us what they can do, they will get spots in the Warblers, of course."

Blaine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Doesn't that just go without saying?"

Kurt smirked, "Yes, but they don't know that."

"Are we telling Jeff?"

Kurt shook his head. "No. No. No. He'll just freak out and ask us to switch his partner and then he'll get all nervous. Best let him believe everything's a coincidence."

The boys were almost to the choir room where they would be meeting the rest of the inductees when Blaine quickly added, "Alright. But what song are they doing duets today? We always do solos the first day to begin narrowing down the group. Usually duets begin the second week."

Kurt sighed. "Fine. We'll have them sing solos then. The object will be theatricality. The Warblers need to be more theatrical anyways. There's no emotion in some of our performances."

"So they'll have to serenade?"

"Not exactly!" Kurt nodded. "They'll each be assigned a song and have to do something creative with it. It'll be great. Hopefully Jeff will catch Nick's attention with the song I have in mind." With that, he opened the door to the choir room and smirked. "Let the games begin."

* * *

As Jeff sat in the choir room, anxiously awaiting what their task would be, he couldn't help but notice when Nick entered. He had walked straight to the side of the room where Thad and a few of the other lacrosse boys were chatting and joined in their conversation.

_Of course. _Jeff thought as he sat alone. _Of course he chose them. Why would he want to sit by me, anyhow? It's not like we're exactly friends._

Jeff's thoughts were interrupted when he saw Trent making his way over. Trent was his best friend, roommate, and all around favorite person. He had been the first to find out about the Nick thing, but Jeff hadn't yet told him about Kurt and Blaine's plotting.

"Hey, bud. Anyone sitting here?" Trent asked with a smile.

"Nah, I was just waiting for Blaine and Kurt to get here, really. I don't know what to expect. Should I be nervous?"

Trent laughed, "K and B are the best. Just never speak while they're presenting ideas, and always listen to their advice. They can be really fun even though Blaine can get really serious about all this Warbler stuff. You'll love 'em."

Jeff nodded as he listened, thankful to have a friend that has experience with the Warbles. "So… what are they making us do today?"

Trent grinned, "Don't be so nervous! They'll probably have you do solos. Half today, half tomorrow. Then they'll go through an elimination period. After that, there'll be duets and a camping trip—just for the evening. Dalton doesn't let us sleep there without supervision which really would take the fun out of it all. Then the second week they'll weave in practice with acapella. And at the end of the week, whoever's left gets to choose if they're in or out. It's really fun."

Jeff bit his lip, "But what if I'm not good enough? What if they decide to drop me right now? I have a bad feeling about this."

Trent pulled the small blonde into a hug. "Jeffy, it's gonna be fine. You were approached by the captains. That practically guarantees you a spot."

Thad ran up behind the pair with a grin. "What's Jeffy worrying about now?"

Trent smiled and pulled away from Jeff at the sound of the newcomer's voice. "Hey, Thad."

Thad pecked Trent on the cheek and grinned, "Hello, love. Now, what's wrong with my Jeffy?"

"Excuse me, he's _my_ Jeffy," Trent whined, crossing his arms.

Jeff laughed, "You guys always know how to make me feel better."

Thad winked, "Don't you forget it. Oh, and if you're freaking out about inducting weeks, stop it. You're in. Trust me. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but we've already discussed possibilities for you and Nick at Sectionals."

Trent hit Thad lightly, "Thad! We aren't supposed to talk about that!"

Thad smirked, "Come on, babe. Live on the edge. It's more fun."

Trent turned a rather dark shade of red and was about to respond when Kurt threw the door to the choir room open. "Alright, boys! Time to begin. So everybody shut up and look alive!" He put his hands on his hips and strutted toward the center of the room. Jeff admired how he acted so confident, as if he owned the place—which, since he was co-captain, he kind of did.

Blaine skipped in behind him with a laugh. "Come on, Kurt. No need to diva in here. You're gonna scare people away before they even begin."

Kurt winked, "That was the plan, darling." Then he turned back to look at the group. "Alright. So I see everyone that has approached has made it to the first meeting. First I would like to congratulate you all on being here. Second, I would like to warn you that the next two weeks are going to be tough. If you don't have a very strong commitment to this, I would advise you to leave now."

Kurt paused and scanned the room for anyone who looked as if they wanted to leave. Two boys stood up and exited, but the rest remained. He was impressed. Last year, five boys—half of the boys approached—had left at that line.

Blaine smiled at the results and continued where Kurt left off. "Alright. Your first assignment is Theatricality. You will each be assigned a song, and will have to sing it with emotion. With feeling. We want to see you all with your rawest emotions on showcase. We want you to move around, get a feel for the space. Also, look alive. We have enough dead weight performers in the world. Keep us interested."

Kurt grinned at the group then pulled out a list. "Alright, now when you come forward, I will tell you what song I want you to sing. We will break off into groups to allow you all a bit of time to review your songs and practice, then meet back here in about an hour. Those of you that feel confident enough to perform today can. But those who choose to wait until tomorrow, be warned that we will judge you much more harshly. Is that understood?"

After a simultaneous nod from the group, Kurt began to call out names. When he reached _Jeffrey Sterling_, the blonde froze where he was sat between Thad and Trent. Thad pushed him up off of the couch and shoved him towards the middle of the room. Kurt grinned. "Jeff, your song will be _You Belong With Me_ by Taylor Swift. You are allowed to make revisions to the song if you seem fit. Good luck."

Jeff smiled at the song choice. He knew that song inside out and backwards—and he often thought about how it reminded him of Nick. Because in all actuality Jeff was a bit of a nerd—just not in chemistry. And Nick was the all-star lacrosse player that would probably never see him as more than a friend that he chats with every once in a while in English. And math. And history.

As Jeff was walking away, he saw Nick heading towards him. He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Nick. Good luck with your song."

Nick grinned, "Thanks, man. Hopefully I don't get something I hate." Nick attempted to sound confident as he spoke to the blonde, but inside he was a mess. He was secretly freaking out because he'd never done a solo before. He'd never really performed in front of people unless it was some speech to his lacrosse team. He was freaking terrified.

When he reached Kurt, Blaine gave him a thumbs up. "Your song is _Must Have Done Something Right_ by Relient K. You are allowed to make revisions to the song if you seem fit. Good luck."

_Relient K. Thank God_. He knew every song by them. And this was one of his favorites. He just didn't know how to sing it with emotion. He would have to speak with Blaine.

Nick waited behind as the Warblers slowly sifted off into different rooms to practice their songs. When he noticed that Blaine seemed to be free, he quickly walked over to him. "Hey, Blaine," he said and bit his lip. "Any pointers?"

Blaine smiled, "Nicky, stop being so nervous. You'll be great. Just—sing the song as if you were singing it to someone. It's like your letting out all of your feelings for that person through the lyrics. Think about someone while you sing it."

Nick blushed at the last sentence, and Blaine picked up on it straight away. "Is there anyone in particular that popped into your head?"

Nick turned away and smiled, "It's stupid. Just—this guy in our English class."

Blaine smirked, "And math? And history?"

"Maybe…"

"Is he blonde? Pretty smart? Kind of on the taller side? Nice smile? Name start with a J and end with an –eff?" Blaine teased.

"How the he—?" Nick started, completely confused about how Blaine knew so much.

"Oh, please," Kurt chimed in from where he appeared beside Blaine. "It's obvious. You were watching him the entire time I was talking. Thanks for ignoring me by the way," he smirked identical to Blaine and placed a hand on his hip in pure diva fashion.

"I was no—"

"Don't even try to deny it, Nicky," Blaine said and set a hand on Nick's shoulder. "We aren't going to tell. And Jeff's so oblivious that even if you threw something at him, he would pretend it wasn't there."

Kurt smiled, "Maybe you should sing the song to Jeff. That'll probably give you the right emotional content we're looking for."

"Maybe. I'll think about it," Nick said in an unsteady voice. He walked out of the room after that and made his way to a deserted classroom. Maybe he didn't have the guts to tell Jeff how he felt, but he could still sing the song and pretend that only Jeff could hear it, right? That was a step in the right direction.

* * *

The next hour passed quickly for Jeff as he rehearsed the song over and over and over again. The entire time being overheard by Thad and Trent who would chime in with "Maybe you should lower your voice here or skip around the couch there or slow down the rhythm at that one part."

By the time he walked back into the room, he was feeling rather confident. He chose to sing the lyrics from a remade version of the song by Go Periscope while singing it the traditional way because it made more sense in his current situation. He figured Kurt and Blaine wouldn't mind since he was allowed to change the lyrics anyways.

When Kurt decided everyone was back, he resumed his place in the middle of the room. "Alright, hands up if you're ready to perform now. If not, you can make your way to the other side of the room."

Kurt was pleased to see six out of the twelve Warblers left over were ready to perform—that including Jeff and Nick. "Perfect," he said as he watched the three lost-looking Warblers make their way to the left of the room. "Now, do I have a volunteer to go first?"

Jeff's hand rose timidly, and he grinned when Blaine motioned for him to make his way to the middle of the room. As he walked, Blaine made his own way to the piano where he planned to play the song out while Jeff sang.

"Hi, my name is Jeffrey Sterling. I'll be singing _You Belong With Me_." The blonde couldn't help but allow his eyes to wander to Nick as he said the name of the song. He wished he had the courage to sing the entire song to Nick, but he was scared of the outcome. He swallowed deeply as Blaine began to play, and he kept time with the beat until his cue to start.

_You're on the phone with your boyfriend_

_He's upset_

_He's going off about something that you said_

'_Cause he doesn't get your humor like I do_

Jeff smiled as he sang the words, dancing around the room and pretending to be annoyed with an imaginary boyfriend that was completely clueless. The gestures he made caused a few laughs, which encourage him to take it even further.

_I'm in my room_

_It's a typical Tuesday night_

_I'm listenin' to the kind of music he doesn't like_

_And he'll never know your story like I do_

Nick laughed along with the group as Jeff hopped on a couch and danced in proper white boy form (i.e. very badly). The smile on the blonde's face made any tension in the room disappear, and he admired the confidence Jeff gave off in the way he performed.

'_Cause he pops collars_

_I rock Converse_

_He plays football_

_And I wouldn't bother_

_Dreaming 'bout the day_

_When you wake up and find_

_That what you're looking for_

_Has been here the whole time_

Jeff smirked in Nick's direction as he sang, trying to say _"HELLO! I'm singing to you! Are you blind?"_ but the look of pure amusement on the smaller boy's face was enough encouragement to continue the song. He jumped off the couch and ran around as he sang, feigning frustration.

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along_

_So what can't you see?_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

Nick was tapping his foot along and beginning to wonder if Jeff would ever run out of steam. He was like a little bundle of energy shooting around the room as he sang. And—_oh. Was that look directed at me?_

_Walkin' the streets with you and your skinny jeans_

_I can't help thinkin' this is how it ought to be_

_Laughin' on a park bench, thinkin' to myself_

_Hey, isn't this easy?_

_And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town_

_I haven't seen it in a while since he brought you down_

_You say you're fine, I know you better than that._

_Hey, watcha doin' with a boy like that?_

The look Nick was sent was definitely on purpose and multiple more glances were sent toward him as the song progressed. Jeff was starting to grow tired, but it didn't show. As he danced around, he let a mask of annoyance and frustration cover his features. He hoped it was convincing enough, but worried it was the exact opposite.

'_Cause he's so popular_

_I'm just awkward_

_He plays football_

_And I wouldn't bother _

_Dreaming 'bout the day_

_When you wake up and find_

_That what you're looking for_

_Has been here the whole time_

Nick chuckled at the awkward look Jeff pulled as he sang. This specific version was even funnier than the original. He loved the witty remarks and—_oh. Jeff's singing about a boy. That means he's gay. Or at least bi. That means I have a chance with him. Oh. Okay._

_Oh, I remember you_

_Driving to my house_

_In the middle of the night_

_I'm the one you makes you laugh_

_When you know you're 'bout to cry_

_And I know your favorite songs_

_And you tell me 'bout your dreams_

_Think I know where you belong_

_Think I know it's with me_

As Jeff approached the bridge of the song, he slowed down his steps. The tempo dropped a few beats and he stood still in the center of the room, mustering the courage it took to look straight at Nick as he sang. If the other boy thought it was weird, he would just shrug it off later as trying to get more into his role. And—_was that a blush starting to show on Nick's cheeks?_

_Have you ever thought, just maybe_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

When Jeff finished his song, applause rung out throughout the room, and he bowed in appreciation. He beamed when he realized that Nick may have been clapping just a tad bit louder than everyone else. The amused looks on Kurt and Blaine's faces told him he was successful with his task, which just made the situation even better.

Nick performed later on, and was pleased by the looks on the current Warbler's faces, but he hadn't been quite as brave as Jeff. He couldn't look the blonde in the eyes and sing directly to him. He was too scared. Of what? He wasn't sure yet.

All he knew was that when he got back to his dorm later in the evening, he couldn't stop thinking about Jeff. About his smile, his voice, or the way he flipped his hair when he was trying to look particularly annoyed. And he couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread across his features each time the boy popped into his brain.

And as he washed his face and got ready for bed, he still couldn't stop the thoughts that were running through his brain.

And when he went to fall asleep, the last thought to cross his mind before he drifted off into dreams of little yellow warblers singing Taylor Swift songs was: _I will sing to him next time. And I will talk to him. I can't lose him now._

* * *

**Next Chapter: Increasing Surface Area**


	3. Increasing Surface Area

**A/N: You guys are so amazing. I'm stunned by all of the reviews and positive feedback from this story. I hope you all like this chapter. Finally, there's a bit of Niff in action. ;) Reviews are always loved. **

**xxx, Elizabeth**

* * *

**Increasing Surface Area**

_As surface area increases, the number of molecules increases, concentration increases, and collisions increase, causing the rate of reaction to go up._

* * *

"Blaine, what exactly am I supposed to wear to this thing? I have no idea what's going on, and I don't want to get anything ruined," Nick complained from where he stood in front of the closet. It was Friday, and the boys were just getting ready to leave for their "camping excursion"—as Kurt liked to refer to it by.

Blaine rolled his eyes at the confused brunette from where he sat on his bed, waiting for Kurt to come tell him it was time to leave. "It's not like the mudslide is _required."_

"_Mudslide?_ You're kidding, right?"

Blaine laughed, "Actually, no. David decided last year that it should become a tradition. He started it last year when he accidentally knocked Trent down. Thad of course flew down after him to make sure he was okay. Then David and Wes decided it looked fun, so they followed. It ended in a horrible mess. And everyone that did it was forced to jump in the lake after to get the mud off. We weren't having muddy teenage boys in the Warbler van. Wet? Maybe. Muddy? Hell no."

"Well, you can count me out of that one," Nick said as he ran a finger through his hair. He pulled out dark jeans, a faded grey v-neck shirt, and a soft green cardigan. "Is this too fancy?"

Blaine glanced at the outfit, then down at his own—an old pair of faded skinny jeans and a Dalton hoodie. "If you aren't planning on getting dirty, I suppose it'll do. I guess you'll just be sitting around the fire all night. That's fine. Kurt will be there, too." Blaine paused and looked up at Nick who was biting his lip in concentration, wordlessly debating on if he should wear the cardigan or one of his school sweatshirts. "And I'm pretty sure Jeff will be playing it safe as well."

Nick all but dropped the school sweatshirt and ran to change into his first choice of clothing. _Cardigan it is_, Blaine thought with a smirk on his face as he watched the door slam closed behind his roommate.

* * *

As Nick continued to get ready, Kurt decided to begin rounding up the Warblers in the common room. He walked down the hall to Jeff's room with a positive energy about him. Though he wasn't having the best day, he didn't want to ruin the fun for anyone else.

He swung the door open to a surprised looking Jeff who had been in the middle of rehearsing a song on his keyboard. "Oh, Kurt! God. I almost had a heart attack."

Kurt grinned and looked over Jeff's outfit carefully. Phase three of the plan would fall into place tonight, and he wanted to ensure that everything would go off without a hitch. "You look awfully charming today. Anyone in particular you're trying to impress?"

Jeff blushed madly and looked down to check his outfit—tightly fit skinny jeans, a black thermal, and a grey vest—for what seemed to be the millionth time. "Are you sure it's okay? I wasn't sure if it looked too dressy for the woods."

Kurt rolled his eyes and gestured toward his own outfit. "Trust me, if I can get away with wearing Marc Jacobs new collection to the campsite, your vest will be completely fine. But you avoided my question. Are you trying to impress Nick?"

Jeff couldn't help the smile that spread across his face just at the mention of the boy's name. He had been spending a lot of time with Nick since Monday. Every day they would talk in class about the different songs they were thinking about doing or how their voices would complement each other in a certain duet. After classes, they would rehearse together. And during Warbler practice, they would perform together. Jeff was glad that he was given the chance to get to know the lacrosse player better, and he felt really close to him now. He only hoped that Nick reciprocated those feelings.

"Of course, I want to look good for Nick. I mean, I'm assuming I'll be spending most of my evening with him anyways. There's no harm in looking nice, right?"

"I am so proud to say that at least one of my friends understands how an outfit can help make things run smoothly. That's what fashion does. It's magic." Kurt beamed at the blonde as he began to work out other new outfits that might make his mid-terms better.

Jeff rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but what I really need is something that will catch Nick's attention. Sometimes he gets so wrapped up with his lacrosse buddies that he forgets about me. I need something that will pull him away from them. I don't wanna end up spending the night watching Thad and Trent make out or something."

Kurt pulled a face. "That would definitely not meet par. What we're gonna need is music. You know, Sam and I sort of had a problem like that. I never really paid attention to him because he was just my brother's friend from school. I'd always be in my room with friends from Dalton or catching up with Mercedes and some of my girl friends from grade school, and he would be in the living room watching stupid movies with Finn or playing video games that make your brain rot and fall out of your head. But one time, I was home for the weekend, and I noticed Sam sitting in the kitchen tuning his guitar. I had no idea that he played, but when he saw me, I asked him about it and he would not stop talking about it. So I asked him if he knew any good songs. He started playing _I'm Yours_ by Jason Mraz, and he looked at me with those gorgeous green eyes. And the way he smiled made me realize that maybe, just maybe, my gaydar had missed him. After he finished the song, he told me that he thought I was really cute and that he hoped we could spend more time together. Of course, after that, Finn walked in and ruined everything."

Jeff smiled at the story. Kurt never talked much about Sam—just that he loved him and he was a total nerd about sci-fi and super heroes. It was nice to hear about Kurt's life rather than having his constantly put under a microscope. "So music? That's all it took?"

Kurt grinned, "Well, Sam still had a bit of wooing to do, but I started hanging out with him and Finn whenever I was home, and after a while he finally decided to ask me out. Finn kinda freaked, but it's been a while now. He's had time to adjust. The music definitely helped, though. Maybe Blaine can bring his guitar and we can test it out."

"Yeah! Alright. Now, I need to think of a song. All I can think of right now are Taylor Swift songs. Maybe that would work. I really like her one song _Ours_. Or maybe something by Colbie Caillat or Lifehouse."

Kurt frowned, "Jeff, the thing is, you can't be the only one putting in effort. You sung a lot more to Nick than he has to you. Technically he's only sung to you in duets. He seems to shy away during solos. Maybe today he'll come to you."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"I'll get Blaine to make sure he does. Are you about ready to go? A bunch of people are already waiting downstairs. I just need to pick up Blaine and Nick."

Jeff got up and walked to the door, "Yeah, I've been ready, actually. But, Kurt?"

"Hmm?"

"Why the sudden change? You seemed sad when I thought about singing to Nick again."

Kurt cursed to himself because _of course Jeff picked up on that_. "It's just—I'm a little bitter lately. You know, about romance. Sam and I are sort of not doing so well."

Jeff frowned and walked down the hallway as the continued their conversation. "Well, what's going on?"

* * *

When Nick was finished getting ready, Blaine moved to enter the hallway, but paused when he heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door to his room. "_Sam's sort of freaking out. He's paranoid because he's convinced himself that I'll find someone better than him. He misses me a lot, too. He told me he wishes I came home more. Then I said that I wished he would come visit sometime because I have to go to Lima all the time for him, but he barely ever comes here. Of course, he got mad at me and said that I should want to come visit home. Blah blah. One thing led to another, and now I haven't heard from him since earlier today._"

Blaine could hear Jeff consoling him, but the voices died down a bit. He knew he should feel horrible for the wide grin crossing his face, but he honestly couldn't help it. It just sort of happened. He stepped away from the door and looked over to Nick. "Nick! Kurt and Sam aren't doing so hot."

Nick smirked, "I can definitely feel your sympathy for them. So what are you gonna do? Swoop in a save little Hummel before the Hevans crash and burn?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at the pun. "I don't want to mess up their relationship, but if Kurt mentions that he's open to other options, I won't have to be told twice."

Nick chuckled, "Oh? So what's the game plan? You gonna try to seduce the boy today?"

Blaine blushed deeply, "No. I might try singing to him, though. He has a bit of a soft spot for music."

"Do you think—" Nick furrowed his brow in thought. "Nevermind."

Blaine smiled deviously. "Do I think what?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you think that would work with Jeff? I've tried before, but I get so awkward when everyone's watching. I can't stop thinking about him, and it's starting to drive me insane."

Kurt barged into the room before Blaine had time to respond. "Come on, boys. Time to hit the road. If we aren't there by five, there won't be enough time to have any real fun."

* * *

Kurt and Blaine were the last to board the van that would be bringing them to the campsite. It was known to most of the population of Dalton Academy as the "Warbler Van" because, though it was also used on occasion for sports teams when meets overlapped, its main purpose was to serve the Warblers on any organized excursions or competition.

The boys sat on the bench all the way in the back and were forced to set in an almost uncomfortably close proximity of each other due to the bags of supplies, food, and instruments crowded on either side of them. The closeness wasn't all that bad, though because it gave them an excuse to have a more private conversation—one that had been going on throughout the week.

"So, phase three?" Blaine smiled and rubbed his hands together. This plan was set up meticulously, so if by any chance something were to go wrong, there was a backup, and a backup to the backup. And a backup to the backup of the backup. And—basically they had a lot of backups.

Kurt nodded. "Increasing surface area is a go."

Blaine bit his lip. "I'm still kinda confused about what this has to do with chemistry."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Blaine, the campsite is humongous. You've been there before. It's a lot bigger than a classroom or the choir room. That is the representation of increasing surface area."

"Oh," Blaine said dumbly.

"And what happens when surface area increases?" Kurt asked patiently.

Blaine sighed. He wished he hadn't brought it up. At least now he had an A in chemistry. "Concentration increases. The boys' concentration on each other has been increasing steadily over the week, so today it should be heightened even further. The number of particles increase. I guess that could represent all the other Warblers that'll be goofing around. Collisions increase. That should be easy because of our planning. We'll make it so that if Nick and Jeff ever separate, they will find each other again."

Kurt smiled. "I've taught you well." He then motioned to the blonde and brunette sat next to each other a few rows ahead of them, heads bent toward each other in conversation. Jeff was talking animatedly, causing the pair watching them to smile. "They look so happy. I think our plan is successful so far."

"Let's just see how it goes when we get to the campsite," Blaine shrugged as he watched the pair, silently wishing Kurt would open his eyes to the similar relationship growing right in front of his eyes. He just didn't seem to have enough—courage to speak up.

* * *

About an hour into the trip, Jeff was sitting on the dock by himself, as he had expected. Somewhere in the back of his brain, he knew it was a bad idea to get his hopes up, but he did it anyways. Now all he had left to feel was disappointment.

He absentmindedly threw a rock, attempting to skip it on the water and failing miserably. As he watched the rock sink, he frowned. This was not how today was supposed to go. Trent was off with Flint and some of the other Warblers attempting to make a bonfire. Nick was playing a mini game of lacrosse on the grass behind him with Thad, Wes, and some of the others.

Then there was Jeff.

Alone as always.

The blonde sat there staring at the sky as the sun began to descend. The colors began to change from seamlessly blended shades of blue to thousands of colors of pinks, purples, and oranges. The sun glowed bright, a deafening contrast to the sky around it. It shone against the water, causing the waves to sparkle. Everything was beautiful, but Jeff never felt quite so alone. He just wanted someone to sit with and talk to. Someone to cuddle with as they watched the sunset together. Someone like Nick.

But no. Nick was to busy with Lacrosse to even notice that he was sitting there on the dock all alone.

So Jeff did what he always did when he was alone. He began to hum. Slowly, as he realized no one was really listening, he began to sing to himself. The lyrics resonating in the atmosphere around him.

_Weatherman said it's gonna snow_

_By now I should be used to the cold_

_Mid-February shouldn't be so scary_

_It was only December_

_I still remember the presents, the tree, you_

_And me_

Nick slowly crept up behind Jeff, smiling at the honesty in Jeff's voice as he sang.

_But you went away_

_How dare you?_

_I miss you_

_**They say I'll be okay**_

_**But I'm not going to every get over you**_

Jeff jumped at the sound of Nick's voice completing the chorus for him. "W-what are you d-doing here?"

Nick smiled warmly and sat down on the dock beside Jeff, hanging his legs off the side. "A boy can only play lacrosse for so long."

Jeff laughed, "I thought you were just purposely avoiding me."

Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would I ever want to avoid you?"

Jeff shrugged and threw another rock. This one skipped a few times before falling beneath the surface. "Dunno. Just—well, I thought maybe you were getting sick of me. You know, after next week's over, we won't have to sing together anymore if you don't want to."

Nick frowned, "Why would you say that? Jeff, I really like spending time with you. You're hilarious and wicked smart. And your voice is crazy good. How could I ever _not_ want to sing with you?"

Jeff steadily avoided Nick's gaze, looking back toward the sky. "I guess I just thought—nevermind."

"Thought what?"

The blonde sighed and leaned back on his elbows. "I guess I just thought you'd be embarrassed by me. I don't know. It's stupid. Just, well, you've probably noticed. I'm not exactly the coolest guy around. I'm pretty much a nerd—unless you count chem. And you're, like, the most popular guy at Dalton. Why would you want to hang out with me?"

Nick shook his head. He just wanted to hug the blonde boy to reassure him, but he was scared that would startle him. Instead, he brought up a hand to cup Jeff's chin and turned his face so they were eye to eye. "Jeff, don't even think that again, okay? I like you. I think of you as a good friend. I'm not embarrassed by you in the least."

Jeff let a slow breathe. "There's one more thing."

"And what would that be?" Nick asked with a smile.

"I'm not straight. I'm—well I'm not exactly sure, but I think I'm bi," Jeff struggled to allow the words out of his mouth, but once they were out he just let them hang there. He'd never actually said it out loud before. He'd talked to Kurt about it, but Kurt had done most of the talking in that scenario.

"And I'm gay. What's that have to do with anything?" Nick answered without missing a beat. He tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach, but it just grew stronger. His heartbeat rose significantly at the news. He hadn't been completely sure if Jeff even leant his way before, and maybe that was why he was so nervous to open up. He'd been there before. It didn't end well.

Jeff's stomach flipped as he heard the words slip from Nick's lips. He was sure that by this point he was blushing the color of a raspberry, but, for once in his life, Jeff was just gonna go with it. "I don't know. I just—I actually have no idea. It's weird, though. That's the first time I've said it out loud."

Nick's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he understood where the worried blonde was coming from. "No, I get it. Maybe you just weren't completely sure until now."

A comfortable silence enveloped the pair, allowing Nick's words to sink in with Jeff. The pair looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, but only a second at the same time. Nick turned away first, blushing like crazy. "T-the sky is really pretty right now."

Jeff nodded and dared himself to move just slightly closer to Nick. "It is, but I really like the water. It's sparkling so much, like diamonds are floating along the surface."

Nick smiled as he took in the view. It was exactly as Jeff had described. The small brunette slowly allowed his head to fall onto Jeff's shoulder, and was pleased to feel Jeff's arm wrap securely around him in response. "This is nice."

Jeff let out a sigh of content and nodded, pulling Nick slightly closer to him to make their position more comfortable. "Yeah, it is."

But of course, all moments like this must come to an end eventually. Only seconds later, Jeff and Nick felt something wet and cold spray them. They turned around to complain, only to see Wes and David running over to them with several water balloons in tow.

Nick groaned. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Jeff laughed, "Are we joining in or running away?"

"I think I'd rather run. How about you?"

Jeff smiled. "Running it is."

The pair took off, narrowly escaping running straight into Wes and David who had been jogging down the dock toward them. They ran quickly, only getting hit a few more times before making it safely to the crew attempting to start a fire.

"Trent, I thought you were a boy scout. Shouldn't you know how to do this?" Blaine complained as he sat on a log, leaning slightly against Kurt who was sitting next to him.

Trent rolled his eyes. "Just because I was a boy scout doesn't mean I automatically can make a fire in a couple seconds. It takes some time, Anderson."

The group surrounding the still unlit bundle of logs groaned in unison. This would take a while. Luckily Thad had run back to the van to find lighter fluid and would hopefully be back soon.

* * *

Even with the help of the lighter fluid, a fire wasn't steadily growing until about an hour later. It was starting to get dark out, and the stars were twinkling brightly in the sky. Most of the boys had disappeared to the mud slide area, or were still running around playing different games like "Ghost in the Graveyard". Jeff earlier joked about how everyone seemed to enjoy all of the childhood games even more now.

Kurt smiled as an idea struck him. There were only about seven people at the fire right now—mostly couples or people avoiding ruining their clothing. "We should play a game."

"And what would that be?" Blaine asked excitedly. Kurt's games were usually pretty fun, so he was definitely in. He was still cuddled into Kurt's side. They had been talking all day, and at one point he had asked Kurt about Sam. The lithe brunette had sighed and explained that the relationship was hanging by a thread, and that he knew things would be ending soon. Sam's trust was nice, but he practically smothered Kurt with affection, and Kurt wasn't sure if he was still reciprocating those feelings to their full extent. Blaine shouldn't have been happy to know this, but he couldn't control his emotions.

Kurt smiled deviously, "We should play Never Have I Ever."

After a unanimous cheer of approval, Kurt pulled away from Blaine and walked over to the cooler, where he pulled out a few bottles of brown liquid. "Technically we aren't supposed to drink—ever. But no party is a Warbler party without a little bit of alcohol. Am I right?"

Blaine grinned. Maybe with a little liquid courage, he would be able to tell Kurt how he felt. _Maybe_.

The bottles were passed around, and a few more boys made their way to the circle. Wes came running with David behind him. "I smell Miller. Are we drinking now?"

Kurt laughed, "Yes, Wesley. Never Have I Ever. You're always the first out."

Wes smirked, "Can't help it that my life is a little more interesting than yours."

Kurt shrugged and gave each of the boys a bottle. "Fine." He sat back next to Blaine, allowing the smaller boy to cuddle back into his side. Blaine's close proximity throughout the evening was odd, but not unwelcomed to Kurt. "Who wants to go first?"

Blaine grinned. "I will! Never have I ever been able to speak French." Kurt, along with a few others groaned and took a swig of their beer.

Nick was next. "Never have I ever been out of the country." Almost everyone in the circle drank to that. He loved that one because it got people every time.

Jeff bit his lip. "Never have I ever kissed a boy." Thad and Trent grinned at each other and sipped in unison. Kurt rolled his eyes and did the same. Blaine and Nick blushed and drank as well.

Kurt cocked his eyebrow at the boy currently curled up and leaning against his side. "And who is this boy?"

Blaine blushed madly and looked at Nick. "It was for Truth or Dare! Not like I wanted to kiss him!"

Nick grinned. "Should I take offence to that?"

Jeff groaned, "Can we just move on?"

Nick shoved his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Have you really never kissed a guy?"

Jeff shrugged, "Not unless you count my dad or cousins or whatever when I was younger."

Nick shook his head in amusement. "Interesting."

Jeff blushed. "Oh? And why's that?"

The brunette looked down at the ground and bit back a smile. "Just—you're cute. I thought you'd be more—experienced."

The taller of the pair laughed, "Hey, I never said I've never kissed anyone period. I've had girlfriends before. They were kinda obnoxious, though. But what can you expect from the private school girls?"

"Hey! My sister's in private school!" Nick giggled as he chastised Jeff.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry! I was just—well, I probably. Okay, I'm just gonna stop talking."

Nick laughed, "I'm just kidding. I don't have a sister."

Jeff rolled his eyes and jabbed Nick with his elbow. "You jerk!"

Kurt smiled fondly at the two as they continued to talk throughout the entire game. The one beer wasn't enough to get anyone drunk, but a lot of the boys were just mildly looser than they were before. Blaine was cuddling even closer to his side. "Hey, B?"

"Hmm?" Blaine hummed, and he hugged Kurt's arm.

The taller brunette grinned affectionately at his best friend. "You're being really cuddly today. What gives?"

Blaine looked up with big, innocent eyes. "I just wanted you to know that there are still other options."

Kurt bit his lip. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I—" but he was interrupted by Nick who had brought his guitar out. He was glad he had thought to put it in the van earlier in the day.

"How about some music, guys?" he asked with a smile on his face just for the blonde sitting next to him. Nick began to strum his guitar and smiled fondly at Jeff as the blonde hummed along to the melody. "This one's for my lovely duet partner." He winked at Jeff who blushed crimson in response.

_**I hear your heart cry for love**_

_**But you won't let me make it right**_

_**You were hurt before, but I decided**_

_**That you were worth the fight**_

_**Every night, you lock up**_

_**You won't let me come inside**_

_**But the look in your eyes**_

_**As I can turn the tide**_

Jeff smiled as he recognized the song. It was something he needed to hear. He always felt so alone, but hearing Nick sing those words, he felt just a little bit better. He picked up on the bridge to the chorus, looking directly at Nick as he sang back. And just like every time before, when he looked into those gorgeous eyes, everything else around them seemed to disappear.

_In your heart, in your heart, in your heart_

_I can tell you can fit one more_

_In your heart, in your heart, in your heart_

_I don't care who was there before_

Kurt felt his heart melt as he watched his plan unravel before him. The boys were absolutely perfect for each other, and their voices complemented each other flawlessly. He leant in to whisper to Blaine, "They look so happy. Looks like our plan is working."

Blaine sighed and held on even tighter to Kurt's arm, wishing again that he could have with Kurt what Jeff and Nick had with each other. "Looks like it," he said in a voice tinged with sadness.

_**I hear your heart cry for love**_

_**Then you act like there's no room**_

_**Room for me or anyone**_

"_**Don't disturb" is all I see**_

_**Close the door, turn the key**_

_**On everything that we could be**_

_**If loneliness would move out,**_

_**I'd fill the vacancy**_

Nick continued to sing the song, looking directly at Jeff the entire time. The look on the blonde's face—so alone and confused—was something that Nick wanted desperately to fix. He wanted to tell Jeff exactly how he felt, but he was scared out of his mind.

_**If loneliness would move out,**_

_**I'd fill the vacancy**_

_**In your heart, in your heart, in your heart**_

Nick smiled as he strummed the last few notes. He dropped the guitar and took Jeff's hand in his.

The guitar made its way around the circle as other Warblers strummed happy songs about parties and having a good time. Blaine, of course, sang the newest Katy Perry single. Everyone was having a good time.

Eventually the rest of the Warblers showed up, soaking wet from their time in the lake, and the boys were forced to pack up and leave before they broke curfew.

The ride back to Dalton was loud and full of laughter and sing-alongs to any song that came on the radio, and when they got out of the van and walked back to their dorms, Jeff was still holding tightly onto Nick's hand.

When the pair reached Nick's room, the smaller brunette squeezed Jeff's hand one final time before letting go. "I had a really good time with you today, Jeffy."

Jeff grinned at Nick's use of the pet name Trent had adopted for him. "Me too, _Nicky_."

Nick blushed. "Well, goodnight." He leaned in closer to Jeff and tilted his head up to reach Jeff's cheek, where he placed a soft kiss. He allowed his lips to linger for a moment, then he pulled away. He would later admit that the way Jeff's entire face resembled the color of a tomato was very satisfying.

"G-goodnight, Nick," the blonde stuttered to get the words out correctly. He stood there as Nick entered his room and closed the door behind him, and couldn't quite figure out how to use his legs again for another minute.

As he made the trek to his own room, he brought his hand up to his cheek right where Nick had kissed him. The spot was still warm with the presence of Nick, and Jeff honestly could not stop smiling. His head was still spinning when he entered his own room and plopped down on his bed, completely ignoring Trent's interrogation of what was going on between him and Nick.

He honestly had no idea. All he knew was that he liked it.

* * *

Over You-Miranda Lambert [_Jeff **Nick**_]

Heart Vacancy-The Wanted [_Jeff **Nick**_]

**Next Chapter: Increasing Temperature**


	4. Increasing Temperature

**A/N: The feedback I've been getting on this story is beyond incredible. When I wake up the morning after posting with several reviews on a chapter, I feel like a three year old on Christmas morning! You're all incredible, and thank you so much for the positive feedback! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)**

**xxx, Elizabeth**

* * *

**Increasing Temperature**

_As temperature increases, particles move faster, collisions increase, and the number of activated molecules increase._

* * *

"_Kurt, I'm so sorry. I was being an idiot._"

Kurt frowned as he listened to the blonde apologize yet again. "Sam, I know. It's just hard for me to get to Lima all the time. I try to come as often as I can, but some weekends I have other things to do. I have to keep the Warblers and school as my top priorities. You're right there with them, but I can't just drop the Warblers because I miss you. I'm a co-captain, and they look up to me. I have to be responsible."

_"I know. I just miss you. And I know I can come visit you, too. That it's not a one-way street. And as soon as I get a chance, I will come see you. I guess I just wasn't thinking straight last time we called."_

Kurt smiled as he heard Sam relax through the phone line. "I guess so. Sam, there's still a lot we need to talk about, though. I've been doing a lot of thinking."

_"Kurt, if you're about to break up with me, please don't. I love you too much to lose you over some stupid argument. Just give me another chance?"_ Sam pleased. Kurt could just picture Sam's eyes growing wider and greener the way they always did when he was sad.

Kurt sighed. "I wasn't about to break up with you, love. I just said we need to talk." The brunette frowned as he remembered back to the previous night.

_I just wanted you to know that there are still other options._

The words rang through his mind loud and clear. Was Blaine trying to tell him _he _was Kurt's other option? And did Kurt even like him in that way? Sure, he had entertained the idea before, but he was never serious about it. He loved Sam. He didn't want to ruin that over some stupid crush. But now this crush was starting to become very real. And it was scary because now he had to choose. It wasn't fair.

Kurt looked up when he heard the door to his room open. Jeff walked in with his headphones on full blast. "Hold on a sec, I need to warn Jeff about hearing loss." Kurt got up from where he was sprawled on his bed and pulled Jeff's headphone's off. "Jeffrey! Beats come with a warning! If you wear them on full blast for more than five minutes you are almost guaranteed permanent hearing loss! Are you that much of an idiot?"

Jeff grinned, "I'm just in a good mood! God. And it was only two minutes. I think I'm safe."

Kurt rolled his eyes and went back to his phone call. "Babe, can I call you back later?"

Sam sighed loudly, "_Sure. I should be used to you preferring your Dalton friends over me by now. Nothing new."_

Kurt's brow furrowed. "Are we seriously back at that again now?"

"_Yeah, I guess we are. You know, I thought I was over it. I thought I would be able to deal with you talking to them so much more than me. I thought I could look past it. But, to be completely honest, it really bothers me. I trust you. I know you'd never cheat because you love me. And I love you, too. But I hate that you talk to them so much more than you talk to me. You see them every day. And you still let them interrupt our phone calls and video chats. And I can't stand it anymore."_

Kurt massaged his temples. "Sam, they're my best friends! And we live in the same building! What am I supposed to do? Lock myself in my room and chew them out if they want to talk when we just so happen to be on the phone—usually talking about nothing anyways? If that's what you want, I'm not doing it."

"_That's not what I want. I just—I guess I'm jealous of them. I'm your boyfriend. I should come first."_

"Yeah, well if you can't get over yourself, then I think we're done here." As soon as the words left Kurt's mouth he gasped and wished he could take them back. But that was that they were out. And then he heard a thud on the other end of the line. He assumed Sam had dropped the phone—or maybe thrown it. Then he heard a muffled sob. And before Kurt could hear Sam's voice again, he pressed the little red button to end the call and turned his phone off.

Jeff had been sitting on the end of Kurt's bed the entire time of the conversation, and he was trying to understand what was happening. Did Kurt and Sam just break up? Kurt and Sam who were always going on and on about how much they love each other? Kurt and Sam who had been dating for the past two years? "Kurt?" Jeff asked hesitantly, fearing the answer. "What just happened?"

"I—I think I just broke up with him." And then Kurt turned to look at Jeff and a single tear rolled down his cheek. "What did I just do? Why did I do that? Jeff, I love him. Why did I do that?"

Jeff motioned for Kurt to move closer to him, so the small brunette crawled across the bed and fell into Jeff's waiting arms. "It's okay, Kurtsie. You'll be okay." The blonde gingerly wrapped his arms around Kurt and rubbed circles on the boy's arms. "It was probably your subconscious. Were you having any doubts about your relationship with him?"

Kurt nodded sadly, "Y-yeah. I was. But I didn't even consider breaking up with him. I just thought that it was a stupid crush, and I'd get over it."

Jeff froze, "Crush? On who?"

Several tears fell from Kurt's eyes as he cuddled into Jeff's embrace. "You were sort of right about Blaine. He's my best friend, but there's something more there. At least I thought there was for a while. Then yesterday he told me that I have _options_. What the hell does that mean? Options? And I haven't been able to stop thinking about how cuddly he was being yesterday. It was nice. And I shouldn't have let him be so close. I'm supposed to be the one that has their head on straight at this school."

Jeff smiled, "Kurtsie, Blainers has been in love with you since _Teenage Dream_ when you were freshmen. I know that, and I didn't even see it happen. I remember him hiding up in his room for a week when you and Sam started going out. And then he just seemed to accept that you two would be best friends. Maybe he heard us talking yesterday and thought it was his chance to change your mind."

Kurt listened to Jeff with interest even through his sobs. "H-he's liked me that long? W-why didn't he ever say something?"

"He didn't want to mess up your relationship with Sam?"

Kurt sighed, "I'm an idiot. Aren't I?"

Jeff smiled, "No, just a little blind to the obvious."

There was a knock on the door, and Kurt attempted to dry his eyes before calling out, "Wh-who is it?"

"It's me!" Blaine called back. "Is Jeff in there?"

"Yeah, c-come in B-Blaine."

Blaine opened the door slowly, concerned with the way Kurt stuttered as he spoke. When he took in the sight of Kurt curled up in Jeff's arms, sobbing with tear stains running down his face, his heart broke. "Kurt? What's wrong? What happened? Do I need to kill someone?" Blaine ran to Kurt's side, concern written across his entire face.

"He broke up with Sam kind of accidentally," Jeff said as he squeezed Kurt tight against him reassuringly. The brunette was sitting in his lap with his arms wrapped around him—clinging to him for some type of support.

Blaine suddenly couldn't see straight. Kurt and Sam were over. Just like that. "R-really? Wait, what to you mean accidentally?"

Kurt sighed and slightly peeled himself away from Jeff, attempting to calm the sobs that shook his entire body. "H-he was trying to make me choose between you guys and him. I told him that wasn't fair, and he got mad. I guess I was frustrated and tired of fighting. So I sort of told him that I was done."

Blaine could feel his heart splitting in two for the boy in front of him. "S-so you guys are done? Are you gonna try and get him back?"

Kurt shook his head. "I'm a strong believer in the fact that all things happen for a reason. I-I just wish I didn't hurt so much. He was my everything for two years. I don't know what to do now."

Jeff looked at Blaine and suddenly was confused. "Why were you looking for me?"

Blaine looked confused for a second, then he remembered the real reason he was here. "It's Nick. He has a bit of a fever. He's such a baby when he's sick, and I was getting tired of playing nurse. I'm his roommate, not his mother or boyfriend or anything like that. I thought maybe you would—" before he could finish the sentence, Jeff was setting Kurt back down on the bed gently and grabbing his headphones which he had discarded when he came in.

"Take care of Kurt for me and I'll watch Nick," Jeff called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

Blaine laughed at the blonde's hasty exit. "I guess we don't have to worry about the Increasing Temperature plan anymore. You seemed stumped on that one anyways."

Kurt smiled softly, still overcome with sadness. "Yeah, I guess Nick's fever is enough symbolism. As his temperature increases, particles move faster—that would be Jeff running around like crazy trying to help him feel better and get him everything he needs. Collisions increase—that would be Jeff and Nick. Obviously they'll see each other a lot today since they'll probably be in the same dorm room the whole time. And the number of activated molecules will increase. Basically, sparks will fly." Kurt grinned at the end of his explanation, quite proud of it.

"Looks like the plan executed itself," Blaine said with a laugh.

Kurt sighed, "Great, I was hoping that would provide a distraction—at least for a little while."

Blaine frowned and opened his arms. "Come here, K. You shouldn't have to deal with this alone."

Kurt hesitated as he thought about what he and Jeff had been talking about mere minutes earlier, but resigned to curling up in Blaine's arms as they rested together on the bed. "Thanks for staying here, B. I'm just confused. Sam's been my everything for the past two years. What do I do now?"

The smaller boy tightened his arms around Kurt and stroked his hair gently. "I know it'll be hard, but you'll get past this. Kurt, you're one of the strongest people I know. And you still have options, you know."

Kurt looked up with confused eyes. "You keep saying that. I don't understand."

Blaine sighed, "Just forget I said anything. We'll talk about it later. Now, you need to rest. How about we watch one of your musicals?"

Kurt smiled, "Funny Girl? Can you put it in?"

Blaine laughed, "Sure, K. I'll put it in." The smaller boy got up to retrieve the DVD and place it inside of the player, grabbing the remote before coming back to the bed.

Kurt automatically curled back up against Blaine's side, resting his head on the boy's chest. "Hey, B?"

"Yeah, K?"

"I really hope our plan works out for Jeffy. He deserves to be happy."

Blaine smiled and pulled Kurt closer to him. "So do I. We deserve to be happy, too, though. Don't forget that."

* * *

Jeff was about to knock on the door to Nick's room when he heard a retching cough echo out of the room and into the hallway. "Nick?" the blonde asked as he slowly opened the door.

Nick was sat on his bed, covered by a mound of blankets. He sat up when he heard the voice of the blonde, attempting to fix his hair. The only result was a piercing headache from the sudden movement. "Jeffy? Where's Blaine?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Went to find me. Told me you have a fever. I guess you're trying to sweat it out?"

Nick nodded as he lay back down on his bed. Sitting up hurt too much. "Please don't tell me I should see the nurse. I hate going there. It always smells weird and she asks a lot of questions and never helps anyways."

The blonde reached over and placed his hand on Nick's forehead, yelping and pulling back when he felt the scorching fever resonating from the boy. "No, not the nurse. But I'll go get you some Ibuprofen to reduce the fever. And what's your favorite movie?"

Nick nodded slightly, "That'd be nice. And I don't really know."

"I'll just go grab some from my collection. Do you like tea? And what about soup?"

Nick smiled. It was nice to know that the blonde was so concerned with him. "Okay, you really don't have to, though. I'm a big boy. I can handle it."

The blonde shook his head. "No, no. I insist. I'll be right back. Is raspberry tea okay? Trent drank the last of the herbal one and I think Thad stole my stash of green tea."

"Yeah, it sounds great."

Jeff nodded, "Do you like superhero movies?"

Nick nodded quickly, "Yes! Anything Marvel. I don't like DC unless it's Batman."

Jeff smiled, "Marvel's the best. I'll bring some of the X-Men movies. I'll be right back, okay?"

Nick smiled and watched as the door closed. He really didn't want the boy to leave, but he knew Jeff would have insisted on it. He waited a few minutes, attempting to smooth down the blankets as he watched the door, listening for Jeff's return.

The blonde returned in a huff a few minutes later carrying a bag. He emptied the contents of it out onto Blaine's bed when he re-entered the room. A bottle of ibuprofen, several DVDs, a few packets containing tea bags, and a package of Ramen noodles poured out of the bag, and Jeff smiled. "I think this should do. I was gonna grab an ice pack for your head, but Blaine told me there's one in here somewhere."

Nick nodded, "It should be in our little fridge." He pointed to the corner of the room where a mini fridge was situated next to a small table. A microwave sat atop the table, along with a stack of bowls and miscellaneous cups and mugs.

Jeff grinned. "Good. I hope you like Ramen. Turns out Thad and Trent ate the rest of my soup as well. I'll have to call my parents about finding me a lock to put on everything I own, so they can't steal it," he said with a laugh. He went into the bathroom and came back with a cup of water, bringing it to Nick along with two of the bright orange pills. "Here, take this. It will help a lot with the fever. And you need to take another one every four to six hours to keep your temperature down."

Nick nodded and swallowed the pills. "Thanks, Jeff. I don't know what I'd do without you. Blaine's absolutely no help. He gets freaked out because of all the germs."

The blonde just teased Nick's hair. "I had nothing better to do. And apparently I'm good at taking care of people. Whenever Trent gets sick, I'm like his mother."

Nick laughed hoarsely and coughed because his throat was so dry. Jeff frowned. "Drink the rest of the water. I'll make you some tea. Are you hungry?"

The brunette curled up in his bed, relaxing as he watched Jeff walk quickly around the room, picking things up and asking him a flurry of questions. "Yeah. Ramen, please? You're lucky I love that stuff. I could never figure out how to make it in a microwave, though. I always made it in a pot over a stove."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "It's only the easiest thing ever! But for now, I'll get you the ice pack for your head. I'm also going to have to strip the sheets."

Nick's eyes widened, "Strip what?"

The blonde giggled. "Strip the sheets on the bed. And the comforter, actually. I'm guessing you and Blaine each have a replacement set?"

Nick relaxed again, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Oh, right. Yeah. We each have extras in the linen closet in the bathroom."

Jeff nodded. He began to make the tea, and as the water heated up in the microwave, he made Nick move onto Blaine's bed. He didn't want the germs traveling. He quickly stripped the sheets and pillows from the bed and stuffed them into a bag to be sent down to the cleaners. The sheets were all replaced with clean ones in record time and the blonde smiled motioning that Nick should go back to his own bed.

The cold, clean sheets were an instant relief against Nick's skin. He instinctively curled up in them with a content smile.

Jeff smiled at the brunette endearingly as he took the water out of the microwave and poured some of it into a mug that already had a tea bag sitting inside of it. He poured the rest into a smaller bowl and mixed it with the noodles before putting it back into the microwave to heat further. As the tea cooled, Jeff continued to switch the sheets on Blaine's bed. "I'll have Trent bring the blankets and sheets to the cleaners when he goes later. He'll bring 'em back for you, too. He owes me since he and his boyfriend ate all my soup."

Nick smiled as Jeff handed him his tea, sipping it and surprised to find that it wasn't bitter even though there was no sugar in it. "Thanks, Jeff. You're kind of amazing."

Jeff blushed and turned away. "Oh, it's nothing. I just know that when I'm sick I hate sitting in my 'sick sheets'. The clean linen always makes me feel better. If only just a little bit." The blonde bit his lip when Nick said nothing in response. "How about I put in a movie while our noodles cool off?"

Nick nodded and watched as Jeff swiftly popped in his favorite of the movies. He then picked up the bowls of noodles that had been cooling on the small table and brought them back Nick's bed. Nick set his tea down and grabbed for the noodles, just now realizing how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten all day long. And the heat would probably feel heavenly as it slid down his throat.

The brunette laughed as he looked up to see Jeff standing awkwardly beside his bed. "Did you want to sit down?"

Jeff bit his lip and smiled. "Yeah, would that be okay?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "No. You came to my room with medicine, soup, tea, and movies, you remade my bed for me, made me lunch, and brought me an ice pack. You are definitely not allowed to sit down," he said with a laugh. Jeff just laughed along with the brunette and climbed into the bed beside him, careful to stay just far enough away that he wasn't imposing.

By the time the movie was half over, the boys had discarded of their bowls and Nick had taken the ice pack of as it had begun to sweat too much. Jeff smiled as he watched the brunette's eyes light up as he watched Wolverine on the screen. It was one of those moments that Jeff wished would last forever. He slowly moved closer to Nick until he was leaning up against the headboard beside him with his head resting carefully on the brunette's shoulder.

Nick smiled as he noticed Jeff's closeness. "Hi," he said, and his voice came out a lot higher than he had hoped.

Jeff smiled at him, "Hey." The big green eyes and the mussed up hair were enough to make Nick melt. He wrapped an arm around the blonde, sliding into a more comfortable position with the boy.

The movie progressed to its end, and neither of the boys moved the entire time—content to just be close to each other. Jeff usually would be paranoid about getting sick, but at this time he really didn't care. He figured his immune system was superhumanly strong anyways, so no harm done.

When the credits ended, Jeff looked up at the screen and groaned. "I really don't feel like moving to put in a new one."

Nick laughed and slid down so he was laying properly on his bed, facing Jeff. The blonde did the same, making sure that his eyes were level with Nick's as he got comfortable in the new position. Nick's hand found his under the blankets, and the warmth was enough the make Jeff blush. "We could just talk or something," Nick suggested.

Jeff smiled, "Yeah, that sounds great."

"So," Nick looked at Jeff and smiled, "what's your favorite color?"

"Yellow. Yours?"

"Blue. I know that's kinda stereotypical, but it reminds me of the sky. What's your favorite number?"

Jeff blushed a little, "Six."

Nick smiled, thinking he had an idea why that was, but wanting to make sure. "Why six?"

Jeff's blush just grew brighter. "My favorite class is sixth period."

"English? We have that together," Nick said with a grin.

The blonde nodded and averted his eyes. "I know. That's one of the reasons why it's my favorite. It's the first class we have together during the day."

Nick blushed as Jeff confirmed his theory. "It's a good number. My favorite's three."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Nick smirked. "I was born on March third, so 3-3. I guess it's just meant to be."

Jeff's face fell. He had been looking for something a little more along the lines of what he had just admitted. "Oh."

Nick chuckled. "You know, all of your emotions are shown in your eyes. I can tell that you're a bit disappointed. Maybe it'll help if I told you I'm not done explaining yet. It's also the number of classes we have together."

Jeff felt his entire body flush as the words left Nick's lips. "Y-yeah. Three's a good number, too."

Nick smiled. "Would you be mad if I fell asleep? I'm sorta worn out."

"No. You're sick. You need to rest," Jeff reassured. He began to pull his hand away, but Nick only tightened his grip.

"No. Stay. I mean, if you want. Maybe when I wake up I'll feel better. There's a song that I was thinking we could do for our duet."

Jeff smiled at the brunette and squeezed his hand. "Sounds good. Now go to sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up." Before the words had even left Jeff's mouth, Nick was turning his back to Jeff and resituating their hands, so Jeff had his arm wrapped protectively around the smaller boy. "Hey, Nick?"

"Hmm?" Nick hummed as he slowly lost consciousness.

"Are we—spooning?"

Nick giggled slightly but fell asleep before he could respond. Jeff marveled at how quickly the brunette could knock out when he was tired. He sighed and cuddled closer to Nick, slowly falling asleep as well.

* * *

Hours later, Nick woke up feeling about a million times better. He wasn't sure if it was because of the medicine and tea or the fact that he was waking up with Jeff's arms wrapped around him. He slowly turned in the blonde's arms and found him already awake. "Good afternoon, Three. Have a good nap?"

"Three?" Nick asked groggily.

Jeff grinned. "I've decided I'm going to call you Three from now on. Nicky was too universal."

The brunette smiled at Jeff and nodded. "Whatever you say, Six."

The taller of the two laughed as he slowly pulled away and sat up. "So, you were talking about a duet before you fell asleep. You feel up to rehearsing?"

Nick nodded. "I think your tea has magic powers. I don't feel sick at all anymore."

"Oh, it better. I got it shipped here from Hogsmeade," Jeff said with a laugh. "Really, though. What song were you thinking of?"

Nick grinned. "It's called _All About Us_. The first line is about the main singer teaching someone how to dance. I thought that when we perform it I could be pretending to teach you how to waltz."

"You can waltz?"

The brunette blush wildly. "I—yes. I had to take ballroom dance classes in middle school. It was horrible, but I picked up quite a few things."

"Show me." Jeff was disbelieving, but as he watched Nick jump off the bed and stride toward him with his hand out, he laughed and took it. True to his word, Nick knew exactly how to waltz. Jeff was confused a bit at first, but the dance was easy enough to pick up within a few minutes. The blonde giggled as Nick began twirling him around the room while slowly singing the song to him.

* * *

"Alright, everyone. This is our final duet, then we will be making cuts. Whoever is left at the end of this meeting will be given the choice to stay in the Warblers or back out. You will have until the end of the week to think through this decision," Blaine stated clearly as he smiled at the remaining inductees. A few had been cut earlier on in the week, but everyone he thought had true potential was still sitting in front of him.

Kurt grinned, "Now, for the final pair, Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling."

Jeff bit his lip as he stood and walked with Nick to the middle of the room. They had practiced the routine multiple times, but it was still very new to him. He really liked the idea, though, and he was glad to be given the chance to perform with Nick.

Nick leant up and whispered quietly into Jeff's ear in reassurance, "We've got this, Six."

Jeff smiled, "Yeah, we do." And then the music began and the rest was a blur as Nick began to sing.

**Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance**

**I'll spin you around, won't let you fall down**

**Would you let me lead? You can step on my feet**

**Give it a try, it'll be alright**

Nick walked slowly over to Jeff as he sang, giving out his hand for the blonde to take. Jeff smiled as he was pulled in close and Nick began to sway. After a moment, the blonde was picked up so he was standing on Nick's feet as the brunette guided them around the room. The pair kept their eyes locked on each other the whole time.

**_The room's hush hush, and now's our moment_**

**Take it in, feel it all, and hold it**

**_Eyes on you, eyes on me_**

**_We're doing this right_**

The way the song described the room was exactly how it was in that moment. As Jeff and Nick danced around the room—Jeff dancing on his own now because he didn't want to hurt Nick's feet—the entire room was silent, all eyes on them.

**_'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love_**

**_Spotlight's shining, it's all about us_**

**It's all about us**

**_And every heart in the room will melt_**

**_This is a feeling I've never felt_**

**_But it's all about us_**

Blaine was caught up in the sweetness of the moment. He cuddled close to Kurt and whispered to him, "I think our plan is working."

Kurt just grinned, and, on a whim, he took Blaine's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. Blaine had been there for him all week, and the taller boy had been doing some thinking. Maybe Sam wasn't the right one for him. Maybe the boy for him had been standing in front of him all this time trying to catch his attention with the latest in Katy Perry's repertoire. "Yeah, I think it is."

Blaine looked up in shock when he felt Kurt's hand in his own, but softened when he saw the smile on the boy's face. He cuddled closer to Kurt and resigned to enjoying the rest of the performance in silence.

_Suddenly, I'm feeling brave_

_Don't know what's gotten into me_

_Why I feel this way_

_Can we dance real slow?_

_Can I hold you real close?_

Nick smiled as Jeff sang to him, the entire time maintaining the eye contact they had created at the beginning of the song. As the blonde sang, a melody began to develop amongst the Warblers watching. It was like magic, and the humming just amplified the sounds and feelings swirling inside of the brunette as he waltzed around the room.

**Do you hear that, love? They're playing our song**

_Do you think we're ready? Oh, I'm really feeling it_

**Do you hear that, love? Do you hear that, love?**

Trent grinned as he watched his best friend dance around the room. He figured the pair would be official by the end of the week—at least that was what he had bet on against Thad. He tried to focus on the pair as they sang, and he quickly joined in on the escalating melody. The whole scene was very _Beauty And The Beast_-esque.

_Do you hear that, love? They're playing our song_

**Do you think we're ready yet? Oh, I'm really feeling it**

_Do you hear that, love? Do you hear that, love?_

As the pair came toward the end of their song, they slowed down their dance just a bit, so it was back to a basic square waltz. Jeff leaned down and rested his forehead against Nick's as they quietly sang the last line in perfect harmony.

**_It's all about us_**

The song ended and applause rang out through the room. Nick just pulled Jeff close to him in a hug and whispered in his ear. "You did great, Six."

Jeff smiled and ruffled Nick's hair as they embraced. "Likewise, Three. Likewise."

* * *

All About Us-He Is We [_Jeff _**Nick _Both_**]

**Next Chapter: Adding A Catalyst**


	5. Adding A Catalyst

**A/N: Hey, guys! IDEK about the length of this chapter. The fact that it doesn't have a song in it may be a contributing factor. But the next chapter should be rather long & pick up exactly where this one left off. Love you all! **

**xxx, Elizabeth**

* * *

**Adding A Catalyst**

_Adding a catalyst causes activation energy to lower, the number of molecules to increase, and speeds up the reaction between substances._

* * *

Kurt was looking down at his chemistry notes, thinking about cramming for the quiz that should be coming any day now, but he couldn't seem to focus. Every time he rested—even for a moment—his mind drifted to Blaine and how confusing his feelings were becoming. Each day, he missed Sam a little bit more, but he also noticed his feelings toward Blaine were growing stronger.

There was the ever-present conflict of the empty feeling he experienced every time the tall blonde popped into his head versus the giddy warmth that would cover him whenever the small brunette came to mind. This conflict, as of yet, has reached no conclusion.

Kurt groaned in anger and threw his notebook at the door, aiming to hit the picture of him and Sam that he hadn't taken down yet, but the door opened before any contact was made, and the book hit Jeff instead.

Luckily, this particular action had already occurred multiple times over the course of the week, and the blonde was prepared this time. Jeff caught the notebook in his hand without flinching and set it down on Kurt's desk before sitting next to him on the bed. "Well, hello to you, too."

"Hi," Kurt grumped as he looked at the picture still hanging on his door as if it were mocking him.

"Why aren't you getting ready? You're announcing the new Warblers today in like five minutes."

Kurt blanched and turned to look at his clock. Of course, Jeff was right. The small brunette was emotionally exhausted, though, and he honestly didn't feel like primping. Instead, he ran a comb quickly through his hair and through his blazer on over the crumpled up shirt he had been wearing all day.

Jeff was shocked by the appearance of his friend that more often than not looked like perfection in human form. To see him so thrown together and rumpled, he couldn't help but compare the sight in front of him to a young bird with its feathers ruffled. The blonde boy shrugged. "That should do, I guess. Shall we go?" He offered his arm out to Kurt, but the smaller boy ignored it and walked straight past Jeff and out the door.

"Sure, Jeff. I'd love to go announce the new Warblers. Sounds like fun!" Jeff mumbled under his breath as he followed behind Kurt. "Alright, Kurt. Let's go then."

Kurt snapped back to look at Jeff with a menacing glare. "You know I can hear you, right?"

"No, but that just makes it funnier, I suppose."

"I really hate you sometimes."

Jeff grinned, "Yes, but you love me most times."

"Whatever," Kurt grumbled as he walked ahead and picking up pace the whole time.

The walk to the choir room was a short one, and the boys were approaching it only minutes later. All the Warblers—including all of those newly inducted—were present, sitting on chairs to one side of the room when Kurt and Jeff entered.

Blaine jumped to his feet at the sight of Kurt, and suddenly everything felt right again. It was weird how whenever Kurt wasn't around the boy for a long time he would start to question things, but as soon as he saw that adorable head of loose curls—too often slicked back by hideous amounts of gel—he would melt again and any previous worries would fade.

He had spoken to Sam again a few days ago, and they agreed that distance wasn't the best thing for them as a couple. The summers were always amazing, but they always led to massive amounts of withdrawal every time September rolled back around.

They solemnly had agreed to break up. It was, in the end, what was best for the pair. Of course, they still loved each other and would continue to hold a spot in each other's hearts as very close friends, but they would not associate romantically anymore. The distance, as it turns out, wasn't very healthy for their sanity either.

After a few days of milling through his thoughts, Kurt still wasn't sure if he was ready for a new relationship so soon. But there Blaine stood—handsome as ever, with that warm and loving look in his eyes that made the taller brunette want to melt.

Those thoughts only intensified when Blaine stepped forward and grasped Kurt's hand in his own, but they were forced to the back of his mind when the smaller boy began to speak. "Hello, Warblers! First I would like to congratulate you all on making it through these last few weeks. I know it's been rough, but things are only going to get better from here on out."

Kurt smiled, pulling out of Blaine's grasp when he realized all the odd looks they were getting. "Yes, and we would like to start this year off with a bang, so I think a party is in order!"

This statement was met by a loud round of cheers from the group. Blaine cut it off quickly, "Alright guys, so tonight there will be a little soiree of sorts in the senior commons. We already got the okay from the staff. And there are only a few rules."

Kurt winked over at one of the more excited Warblers. "Wes? Would you like to explain the rules?"

"One: Only Warblers are allowed. All others will be turned away at the door. Two: No talking about the party with people not associated with the Warblers—including staff and best friends that didn't make it in. These parties are Warbler-exclusive. Three: Truth or Dare is _always_ going to happen. Four: Liquor must be provided, or we all have an excuse to leave," he thumbed off each rule casually, but his smile was devious by the time he got to the final rule.

"_And_," Wes added, "if you have a hangover in the morning, do not go outside of your dorm until you've recovered. We don't want anyone to find out about—or take away—our supply."

Kurt grinned as he watched Wes and David answer any and all questions related to the party, leaning over to whisper to Blaine, "Honestly, I'm still not sure what the catalyst tonight is."

Blaine laughed, "True. Truth or Dare or alcohol?"

"I'd really hate if it was the latter. Let's hope they don't get roped into one of Wes and David's drinking games. Those can always be scary."

* * *

"_So are you excited?" Nick asked as he elbowed Jeff in the arm._

_The blonde shrugged. "I guess. I don't know about the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of drunk guys all night, though."_

"_I heard there's good karaoke, though! And if you don't wanna drink, I'll stay sober with you."_

"_Yeah?" the blonde asked with hope written across his features._

"_Sure," Nick said as if it wasn't that big of a deal at all. "I get all weird when I drink anyways. I'd like to save myself from the embarrassment if I can help it. And," Nick grinned and tugged Jeff's hand into his, "that way we can hang out more tonight."_

Jeff blushed as he thought about the conversation he had with Nick earlier on in the day. He had no idea what to expect to come from tonight, and he was nervous and excited and confused. But he didn't mind feeling all those things really—not really. He didn't mind because he knew Nick was probably thinking the same things. They were in this together, and Jeff was just starting to figure that out.

He tugged on his hair one final time, but when the annoying parts continued to stick up, he gave up. Trent was already waiting for him, and Nick would probably already be downstairs.

Trent giggled as he watched Jeff wrestle with his hair. It was quite endearing, but Thad was waiting for him. "Yes, yes. You look gorgeous, Jeffrey. Nick's just gonna eat you up. Can we go now?"

Jeff flushed bright red, but couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Can you not?"

"Not wait for you? Gladly." Trent walked out of the room and stood by the door in the hall waiting for Jeff to follow.

As predicted, the tall blonde followed seconds later. "What happened to not waiting for me?"

Trent shrugged and hooked arms with his best friend as the fell in step together. "I figured an extra couple seconds wouldn't hurt. But if you had spent any longer on that ridiculous hair of yours, I would've left your ass behind."

"Oh, whateve—" Jeff's thought was cut off midsentence when he rounded the corner to the senior commons and collided with another body.

The boy he walked into turned sharply, "Hey, watch where you're—oh, hey, Six."

Jeff grinned and unhooked his arm from Trent's, nodding to the boy next to him to go ahead to the others. "Hi, Three!" he wrapped his arms around Nick in a tight embrace, but pulled away suddenly when he realized what he was doing.

The shorter boy looked at him quizzically, "Something wrong?"

Jeff blushed and shook his head. "Nope. Everything's great."

"Good, let's go join the party then."

The volume increased greatly once the boys were out of the hallway and into the room. Alcohol was already flowing, and the party seemed to be in full swing. Kurt rushed over to them both and grinned. "Finally, our little prodigies have arrived! Let's get you guys a drink."

Jeff quickly shook his head. He knew it had been two weeks. That whatever plan Kurt and Blaine had put into action would be boiling over tonight. He wanted to be sober when it did. "N-no thanks, Kurtsie. I'm good."

Kurt flushed at the nickname, but he was tipsy, so he didn't chastise Jeff for it. Instead, he stuck out his bottom lip and widened his eyes in a pout. "Fineeee. But will you at least do karaoke?"

Jeff looked at Nick, who nodded. "I think we can do a few songs."

Kurt clapped and giggled, "Perfect!" Rolling his eyes, he added, "As much as I love Miss Katy Perry, I was hoping I could spend some time _with _Blaine today. Not just listening to him sing."

Jeff laughed at Kurt's feigned annoyance, but was already mentally running through songs in his head. His thoughts were interrupted by someone further into the room yelling "Everyone, get over here! We're playing Truth or Dare!"

Kurt squealed in delight and took Jeff and Nick both by the hand, leading them to the circle that was already forming in the center of the room. Once they were situated, Kurt left to find his own spot next to Blaine.

"Alright, who's going first?" David called as he clapped for everyone to calm down.

Thad smirked, "I think you should go first, David." When David motioned as if to say _bring it_, Thad just laughed deviously. "I feel like there's no point to this question, but truth or dare?"

"Dare," David said without batting an eye.

"I dare you to kiss Wes."

David just laughed. "You guys are ridiculous. I have to do this almost every game."

"And you will continue to do it until you guys give up the straight charade and admit that you're madly in love," Blaine cooed as he cuddled into Kurt.

David just rolled his eyes end leaned over to Wes who was waiting for him. The pair leaned in towards each other, and when their lips met, catcalls came from all directions. And then something happened that no one was expecting. The pair didn't pull away from each other. Instead, Wes wrapped his arms tightly around David and deepened the kiss until they were clearly making out. David smiled into the kiss, and simply pulled out his middle finger when Cliff called out "Get it in!"

The pair pulled apart moments later and Wes winked at David before wiping his face. "Are you guys satisfied? We made out, and I still feel straight as ever."

David laughed. "Seriously, guys. That was a little weird. Wes is like my brother."

Wes grinned, "Yes, Dalton is _not _a gay school. Remember, Kurt?"

Kurt laughed as he remembered the time that seemed like forever ago when he had come in for freshman orientation and had met Wes, David, and Blaine for the first time. He was surprised by the number of gay guys that attended, but Wes and David had cleared it up that there were still straight guys that attended.

"Right, anyways. My turn!" David grinned. "Blaine, truth or dare?"

"Truth" Blaine said lazily from where he sat with Kurt's arm around him.

"How long have you been in love with Kurt?"

Blaine blushed madly and bit his lip. "Freshman year," he mumbled and his gaze dropped to the floor.

Kurt felt his heart flutter and any remaining doubts he had about Sam had vanished. "R-really?"

Blaine nodded as he looked up to see Kurt's eyes. "Pretty much since we met."

"Blaine!" Kurt giggled as he hugged Blaine closer to him and kissed his cheek softly. "That's so cute!"

"Right. This is actually really awkward." Blaine looked around the room slowly before his eyes landed on one of the newest additions. "Sebastian, truth or dare?"

"I usually pick dare, but maybe truth will be interesting," Sebastian said with a smirk from where he sat, relaxing on his elbows.

"How many guys have you kissed in the last week?"

Sebastian laughed deviously. "Kissed? Maybe two. Blown? Closer to five."

Kurt groaned from where he sat and hid his face in Blaine's chest. "Remind me again why we let him join," he murmured quietly to the smaller boy.

"He's an amazing dancer. You're the one that pointed that out."

"Yes, but he's so… _Sebastian_-y," Kurt complained, but let the conversation drop as he was called on next.

"Kurt," Sebastian said with a smirk, "truth or dare?"

"Dare," Kurt said, eyes narrowing at the challenge.

"Probably not the smartest choice when I'm the one giving it to you." And seriously, Kurt just wanted to smack that annoying meerkat look off of the boy's face. "Fine, I dare you to perform a strip tease to the next song that comes on. You have to get all the way down to your Care Bear boxers."

"Fine," Kurt said, annoyance lacing his tone. "But, just so you know, I don't own Care Bear boxers. Though, a little birdy told me _you_ do in fact have a pair. And you've worn them before."

That wiped the smirk straight off of Sebastian's face. And the strip tease that followed—to the song Out Tonight from Rent, and was remarkably similar to the one Mimi performed in the musical—made the tall boy's face cloud with appreciation and maybe a small amount of desire.

When the song ended, Kurt cleared his throat and hastily pulled all of his clothing back on. "Right, next." He grinned as his eyes landed on Jeff. "Jeff, my dear, truth or dare?"

Jeff blushed. He knew what he was supposed to say, but he was scared that it would lead to something that he wanted to happen on its own accord. Normally, he would cop out and choose truth, but he was feeling a little bold, so he decided to go with dare, no matter how much he knew he would probably regret it later. "Dare."

Kurt just turned to Blaine with a surprised look on his face. He had been expecting the blonde to go for truth. "Umm, okay. I dare you to go streak down the hallway while screaming."

Jeff blushed. He knew he should've picked truth. Plus, this had nothing to do with the plan, he was sure. "Can I at least keep my boxers on?"

Kurt thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Nope. Everything off. You can keep your socks on if you'd like," he said with a smirk.

Jeff stood and began to pull off his shirt. "Fine, but I'll kill you if anyone gets a picture of this on their phones."

And so Jeff completed his dare. The game continued on for nearly an hour as each boy in the circle was given at least one chance to embarrass themselves. One of the funniest ones was when Thad was dared to call his sister and attempt to seduce her. The entire time she was calling from the other line "_Thad, I think you called the wrong number again. Did you mean to dial Trent? Hello? Thad?_"

Then it was Blaine's turn to ask someone, but this time he turned to Nick. "Okay, guys. I think this is the last one. Then we can go back to dancing and everything. What do you say?" He was met with cheers of approval, and nodded before turning back to Nick. "Nick, truth or dare? And you kinda have to say dare now since you've been choosing truth all night."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Fine, but if it's something as horrible as streaking down the hallway, I'm calling chicken."

Blaine smirked, "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure it won't be horrible." He stood and walked to the side of the room. "Warblers, it has come to my attention that Jeffrey Sterling has never kissed a boy. I think we should change that, don't you all?"

Jeff was turning beet red, and he felt like sinking into the floor was a good option at the moment. Instead he just looked at Nick and with wide eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to," the blonde whispered.

"Nick, I dare you to kiss Jeff," Blaine finished before sitting back down with a devious grin on his face.

Nick turned to Jeff, squeezing his hand and moving to whisper in his ear. "I—I want to. But only if you want me to."

Jeff nodded, his eyes growing even wider at the words that came from Nick's mouth. "I—I—okay." As soon as the words left Jeff's mouth, he could feel Nick moving closer. Could feel warm breath on his face and an arm slowly wrapping around him. Then all he could feel were Nick's lips on his. And all he could think was: _This is finally actually happening._

* * *

**Next Chapter: Stirring**


	6. Stirring

**A/N: So (now please don't hurt me) this is the last full chapter of this series. An epilogue will be posted sometime tomorrow. In all actuality, I never thought I would get so much amazing feedback from this short little story, but you all have been so amazing. Your support has meant the world to me and has made writing this fic even more enjoyable than it already was! I swear, I had way too much fun writing this. I literally smiled the entire time.**

**I am planning on writing another Niff story in the future, but I'm not completely sure when that will be posted. In the meantime, you can find me on Tumblr at sitbackandtrynottolaugh. Leave prompts in my ask if you'd like, and I will try as best as I can to fill in all of them. Again, I love you all! Thank you so much for reading this. It means the world to me that even one person took the time to read this. :)**

**On another note, this chapter contains a large amount of fluff and singing. I hope you all enjoy.**

**xxx, Elizabeth**

* * *

**Stirring**

_By stirring, more collisions occur and the number of activated molecules increases._

* * *

Nick pulled away from the kiss after several seconds to look into Jeff's eyes. There, he found wonder and something akin to hope. But more than that, he found pure, unrevoked affection. "Hey," Nick whispered, still unbearably close to Jeff, not wanting to acknowledge the room around them.

"Hi," Jeff squeaked, blushing bright at the way his voice betrayed any sense of calm he was attempting to muster.

Nick just laughed and squeezed Jeff's hand. "I—I think we should talk about this."

Jeff nodded. The sparks he felt from just those few seconds when they're lips were connected were electrifying. He wanted more than anything to just pull Nick back in for more, but he knew that they needed to talk about where their relationship stood before further complicating it. "But not now." He motioned to everyone around them that was watching in—surprisingly—silence. "We seem to have a bit of an audience."

Nick finally broke his gaze from Jeff to look around at everyone else in the room that was now standing and pretending that they hadn't been watching. He swore he heard Trent grumbling _finally_ under his breath. "Right, but will you at least sing with me? Looks like Blaine's trying to steal the mic again."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Damn, he's worse than that girl Kurt's brother brought with to visit that one time."

"The one that dressed like a preschooler?"

"Yeah! But her voice was amazing."

Nick rolled his eyes, "She knew it, too."

Jeff grabbed Nick's hand as they got up and walked toward the makeshift stage that was set up to one side of the room, carefully slipping past Blaine and on to the stage. "I have a song that I think'll work."

"What is it?"

Jeff winked, "You'll see." He quickly whispered the song to Kurt who was working on setting up the machine again. The grin on the brunette's voice at the name of the song was enough to make Nick relax. Kurt wouldn't do anything to embarrass him—he hoped.

As the music began, he relaxed further, recognizing the beat, and agreeing that it was perfect for their current circumstances.

_I gotta say something that I've been thinking 'bout_

_I can't wait to lay around with you_

_And tell you all the secrets I've been keeping to myself_

Nick picked up the first verse, singing in that low, velvety smooth voice that made Jeff crazy. He kept his eyes fixed on the blonde as the lyrics flowed from him, realizing that he meant every word. He couldn't wait to talk to Jeff about this thing between them. Couldn't wait to spend lazy days cuddled together in the commons talking about anything and everything. Couldn't wait to just _be_ with Jeff without all of the worry and pretense.

**It's been a while since I felt butterflies**

**Do you feel the same way, too?**

**If every single second could last that much longer**

**Would you hold me **_**and kiss me again?**_

Jeff had never felt the way he felt about Nick for anyone else. Maybe when he was younger, he would see someone attractive and get a little pang of nervous fluttering in his stomach, but with Nick it was different. With Nick, he felt with stomach constantly twisting in uncomfortable knots, and he was starting to convince himself that there were indeed several butterflies taking up residency in his chest. And all he wanted was reassurance that Nick felt the same about him. All the signs were there, but he still wanted to hear the words, wanted the guarantee that would wipe away all the _what ifs _that clouded his mind constantly.

_**Underneath the moonlight**_

_**You're more than a friend**_

_**I knew it from the first time, yeah**_

_**Hold me, feel my heartbeat**_

_**Put your arms around me and kiss me again**_

**Kiss me again**

Kurt felt his hear melting as he watched his plan unfolding before him. The look of pure adoration that marred both of the boy's faces had him in awe. He remembered a time when he was like that with Sam, and how he was starting to feel that way every time he was around Blaine. It was an amazing feeling, and he was so happy to see his friends experience it together.

_I gotta say I wasn't expecting you to come this way_

_And fall into my arms_

_And now I know I can't deny these feelings any longer_

As Nick sang, he circled around Jeff, playing with his hair and winking flirtatiously at him. Jeff looked so happy, and it was surreal to know that he may be the reason for the wide grin on his face.

**I close my eyes, I can't stop thinkin' 'bout you**

**Crack a smile, I just can't lose**

**Add another minute**

**My heart beats to the limit when I'm with you**

Jeff closed his eyes as he felt Nick's hand brush against his shoulder. Shivers shot up and down his spine at each touch. The lyrics summed up his feelings from the last two weeks perfectly. Every thought, every moment led up to this. And _this_ was pretty amazing.

_**So, kiss me again**_

_**Underneath the moonlight**_

_**You're more than a friend**_

_**I knew it from the first time, yeah**_

_**Hold me, feel my heartbeat**_

_**Put your arms around me and kiss me again**_

**Kiss me again**

Blaine leaned in close to Kurt to whisper in his ear, "Hey, Kurt? I think our plan is being cut short."

Kurt laughed, "Nope, it's exactly where it's supposed to be."

"So what do we do now?"

"Absolutely nothing. We just sit back and watch them stir."

"And that's the last step to your genius plan?"

Kurt grinned as he turned to look back up at the pair. "Well, it's working, isn't it?" he whispered back.

_I can't let you go, can't let you float away_

'**Cause that would be a mistake**

_**I'm not ready to run**_

_**Can't let you to waste**_

_**No, no, no, no**_

Nick made his way back to the center of the stage and slowly walked toward Jeff. He set his mic back in the stand before grabbing Jeff's hand in his own and cupping his jaw with the other. Jeff felt the shivers shooting through him, just like every other time they touched.

_**And kiss me again**_

_**Underneath the moonlight**_

_**You're more than a friend**_

_**I knew it from the first time, yeah**_

_**Hold me, feel my heartbeat**_

_**Put your arms around me **_

_**Hold me, feel my heartbeat**_

_**And put your arms around me and kiss me again**_

_**And again, and again**_

**Oh, kiss me again**

Jeff could barely whisper the last words of the song before Nick was pulling him in closer and pressing their lips together. This kiss was different from the first one—more urgent, less confused. Their mouths fit together perfectly, and suddenly it all just made sense. This was right. This was exactly what was meant to happen.

Jeff pulled away first, locking into Nick's deep brown eyes. He noticed the little golden flecks in the for the first time, and Jeff couldn't help but wonder what else he would notice after being this close to Nick for a while.

Nick broke the silence first, "W-we should talk now probably."

"Tr-Trent'll probably be in my room later with Thad. I was gonna stay with Kurt tonight."

"I'll talk to Blaine. He probably won't mind you staying with us if you want to."

Jeff giggled, "No, he probably won't. Either that or he'll end up with Kurt—I think they have more _talking_ to do anyways." He motioned over to the pair who now had their eyes locked on each other.

Nick sighed, "Should I go stop him? He likes kissing a little too much when he's drunk."

"Nah, he's Kurt's problem tonight. Let's get out of here." Jeff grabbed Nick's hand and led him toward the door.

Nick could feel his heartbeat increasing rapidly as he walked down the hall, hand clasped tightly in Jeff's. The trip to his room was even shorter than he remembered and soon they were stepping inside, closing the door behind them.

"So," Jeff said as he stood by the door, not sure if sitting on the bed was okay. In retrospect, this was ridiculous since he'd already fallen asleep in said bed before, and would probably end up spending the night in this room.

Nick walked over to the bed and sat down, expecting Jeff to follow. When he didn't, the brunette rolled his eyes, "Six, come here. You don't have to stand all night."

The blonde flushed red, but slowly made his way over to the bed. When he sat down, he turned to look at Nick. "So, we should talk about things."

"I—I really don't have much to say, Six."

Jeff frowned, "What do you mean? We just kissed. Twice. Shouldn't we at least figure out what's going on between us?"

"What's going on between us is I like you," the brunette said simply. "And I have a feeling—correct me if I'm wrong—that you like me, too."

"Oh." And Jeff realized that it really was that simple. There really wasn't much to talk about.

"So, really, I only have one question."

"And that would be?" Jeff looked up with hopeful eyes.

Nick smiled and took Jeff's hand in his own, reassuringly. "Jeffrey Sterling, would you consider being my boyfriend?"

Jeff grinned, "Nope."

"W-what?"

"You asked if I would consider it. I said no." Jeff was nearly falling over from the laughter he was trying to contain.

"But—I thought—what?" Nick's eyes were wide, pleading with Jeff's.

Jeff grinned and squeezed the worried brunette's hand. "Hey, I said I wouldn't consider it. That's because I've been considering it for weeks already. I'm done with considering."

"Oh," Nick breathed. He thought he knew where this was going now.

"I don't want to consider anything anymore. I want to _be _your boyfriend, Three. No more thinking about it, worrying about if we both feel the same."

"I—I—okay."

Jeff leaned in for one more kiss, this one completely different from all the rest. All the confusion and hesitance and urgency was gone. This was filled with promise—a mutual understanding that this was something they wanted, something that wouldn't end any time soon.

Jeff pulled away this time with a smile on his face. Nick had just yawned, and it was probably one of the cutest things he'd ever seen. What could he say? The honeymoon phase just started. "Three? A little tired there?"

Nick shook his head, but another yawn came out, defeating his effort.

Jeff just smiled wider, "It's okay. It's been a long day. Want me to leave?"

Nick's eyes widened, "N-no. I mean, if you want to, but you don't have to. I was hoping you'd stay, but if that's weird, you don't have to and I just realized I'm kind of rambling, but I don't really want you to go—and, I'll shut up now."

"Nicky, it's okay. I'll stay. I just wasn't sure if that'd be weird. I really didn't want to go back down to that party anyways."

"Jeffy, if it was weird, you wouldn't have fallen asleep with me earlier this week," Nick pointed out.

Jeff laughed, "Yeah, okay. But cuddles are mandatory."

"Agreed," Nick said with a laugh as he pulled back the covers, not bothering to change his clothes first. It had been a long day, and all he wanted now was to fall asleep with Jeff next to him.

Jeff toed off his shoes then climbed onto the bed next to the small brunette, almost instantly feeling Nick's arms wrap around him and pull him close until his back was pressed up against Nick's chest. Jeff's heart fluttered at the warmth, and he fell asleep easily to the sound of the brunette's breathing.

* * *

Jeff woke the next day to the sound of a guitar being strummed. He opened his eyes to see the room was lit up from the early morning sun, and Nick was sitting on the end of the bed fiddling with his acoustic.

Eventually, an actual tune picked up, and Jeff smiled widely when he recognized what it was.

_The dawn is breaking_

_A light, shining through_

_You're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you_

The song described exactly what Nick had woken up to no more than ten minutes earlier. The sun had been streaming through the windows and he was just barely awake, with his arms wrapped firmly around the blonde boy that he could now call his boyfriend.

_I'm open, you're closed_

_Where I follow, you'll go_

_I worry I won't see your face light up again_

These words, Nick realized, applied as well. When they had been on the trip to the campsite, Jeff had seemed so sad. He just wanted to hold him and make him smile again because when Jeff smiled, it lit up the entire room. There was no denying it. But when Jeff was sad, Nick felt as if all the happiness was sucked out of him as well.

_Even the best fall down sometimes_

_Even the wrong words seem to rhyme_

_Out of the doubt that fills my mind_

_I somehow find you and I collide_

Jeff lay still as he watched Nick strum his guitar. It was the first time he could fully appreciate Nick's voice without all the distractions of the outside world. He didn't want to ruin it by startling the brunette. It was hard, though, because Nick had this faraway look in his eyes, and Jeff wanted desperately to know what he was thinking.

_I'm quiet, you know_

_You make a first impression_

_I found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind_

The blonde could definitely relate to those words. He never thought Nick would notice him because he wasn't one of those people that just walk up to someone and can start talking to them like it's no big deal. He'd been very closed-off for most of him life, and sometimes he found he didn't even know how to open up to people. This whole relationship that was beginning with Nick was honestly scaring the living hell out of him, but he trusted Nick, so he allowed himself to fall despite all of his worries.

_Even the best fall down sometimes_

_Even the stars refuse to shine_

_Out of the back, you fall in time_

_I somehow find you and I collide_

Nick noticed Jeff smiling up at him from where he still lay in bed, and he grinned back. He finished up the chorus then set the guitar down on the floor. "Good morning, Six."

"Morning, Three," Jeff mumbled, his voice still thick from sleep. "I liked the song."

Nick smiled and motioned for Jeff to come sit by him. "Me too."

Jeff crawled to the foot of the bed and relaxed into Nick's chest as strong arms wrapped around him. The feeling was already becoming familiar, and Jeff was scared of how fast everything was happening, but he wouldn't have tried to stop it even if he could. "Hey, Nicky?"

"Yeah?" Nick asked as he brushed a piece of hair out of Jeff's eyes.

"I need you to promise something."

"And what's that?"

"That you'll catch me, because I'm already falling."

Nick smiled and tightened his hold on the blonde that was relaxed against him and kissed the top of his head—marveling in the fact that he could actually do that now. "As long as you'll do the same for me."

* * *

Blaine was walking back to his room, and had the door half open when he saw that Nick wasn't alone inside. He spotted the lanky blonde cuddled up next to him, and he _had_ to go tell Kurt.

He ran back to the room he had just left, breathing heavily as he banged on the door. "Kurt! Open up! Now!"

"What do you want, Blaine? It's too early to be so loud," Kurt grumped as he walked to the door. He was nursing a hangover, and the loud noises were still hurting his head.

"Kurt!" Blaine swung the door open when he decided the other boy was taking too long. "Nick and Jeff. Jeff and Nick. My room. Cuddling. Singing. Talking. In bed. And I just. I can't interrupt. But it worked. Our—your plan worked!"

Kurt grinned and pushed Blaine out of the way so he could run down the hallway. "Really? I need to see this!"

Blaine rolled his eyes but ran to follow him. They came to a halt right at the door to Blaine and Nick's room. The door was still open from when Blaine had left, but now the boys were easily in view from where Kurt and Blaine stood in the doorway.

"_That you'll catch me, because I'm already falling."_

"_As long as you'll do the same for me."_

Kurt looked wide-eyed at Blaine, trying with all he had in him to keep his squealing to himself. But that was just the cutest thing he had ever heard, so the squeal made its way out anyways.

Nick and Jeff jumped apart at the high-pitched noise and looked at each other in confusion. Kurt slowly walked into the room with his hands up in admission. "Yes, that was me. Sorry if I completely ruined the moment, but, seriously guys? If you aren't together by the end of the day, I will hit you both over the head with my chemistry book. Hard."

Jeff grinned at Kurt. "I guess that won't be necessary, then."

Nick laughed and wrapped his arm back around Jeff. "Yeah, I asked out Six yesterday."

"Six?" Kurt asked in confusion.

"It's a long story," Jeff said, rolling his eyes. "Short version: I'm six, Nicky's three."

"O-okay," Kurt said, still seemingly confused.

Blaine walked into the room then, smiling fondly at the pair. "I don't get it either, but Kurt? Did you hear them?"

"Yes, Blaine. Nick just said he asked Jeff ou—OH MY GOD. Nick asked Jeff out! My plan! It worked!"

Jeff laughed, "Yeah, I guess it did."

Nick cocked his head in confusion, "What plan?"

Blaine smirked, "It's kind of a long story. But once I'm done, I think we can all check studying for the chemistry test on Monday off of our lists."

Kurt smiled, "So I got Nick and Jeff together, and I'll have Jeff passing Chemistry this quarter. Damn, I _am _good."

* * *

Kiss Me Again- We Are The In Crowd ft. Alex Gaskarth [_ Nick _**Jeff** **_both_** ]

Collide- Howie Day [_ Nick _]

**Next Chapter: Reaction**


	7. Reaction

**A/N: So, I just wanted to leave one final note for you all. I hope that through reading this, you have all learned a little about chemistry (All the information I presented was 100% accurate. I'm a complete science nerd.). I also hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**xxx, Elizabeth **

**Without further ado, here is the epilogue.**

* * *

**Reaction**

_One Month Later_

* * *

Nick was at lacrosse practice when Dean walked up to him. "Hey, Duval, you still dating that Barbie?"

Nick rolled his eyes and began to walk away to join some of his other teammates—the ones he was actually friends with. "Yes, Dean. And his name is Jeff, not Barbie."

"Whatever, dude. He's still ugly and really annoying. You could do better."

Nick turned sharply on his heel. "Look, _dude_," he practically spat at the tall lacrosse player, "Jeff is the most amazing person I've ever met in my entire life. He's gorgeous, and if you can't see that, you must be blind. He's not annoying in the least, but you wouldn't know that since you can't even see how fucking annoying _you_ are. And, no, I can't do better because Jeff is the best out there. Okay? Just leave it."

Thad came running over, "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Dean thinks insulting Jeff is amusing or something," Nick said flatly, shooting daggers at the tall, muscular boy in front of him.

"Dude, that's not cool," Thad defended.

"Yeah, easy for you to say when you're dating the biggest fatass at this school."

Thad lunged forward, but Nick held him back. "Don't you _dare_ insult Trent. If you have a problem with him, I have a problem with you. And if Duval wasn't holding me back right now, I would gladly punch you in the face. And Trent? His ass is perfect. And it's _mine_. You're just jealous because you've never had a stable relationship in your life."

"Oh, whatever. You guys are such girls," Dean complained as he walked out to the field.

Nick turned to Thad in annoyance. "So much for the zero-tolerance bullying policy. Is that guy ever going to stop?"

Thad shrugged, but his face broke into a smile when he saw a tuft of blonde hair running across the field towards them.

Jeff walked up behind Nick, motioning to Thad not to let on that he was there, and wrapped his arms around him, catching the smaller boy by surprise. "Hello, love," the blonde whispered into his ear.

Nick grinned as he turned around in Jeff's arms to properly see his boyfriend. "Hey, stranger." He leant up to quickly press a kiss to Jeff's lips before cuddling into the embrace.

"I—I'll just go out to practice then. Nick, you don't have to stay if you don't want," Thad mumbled. He was pretty sure that neither of the boys heard him either way.

"I just got my Chemistry midterm results back."

"Yeah? How'd you do?"

Jeff grinned, "Aced it, believe it or not."

"Six! That's amazing!" He pulled the taller boy tight in his arms before looking up at him with a grin. "You are amazing."

"Nicky," Jeff said slowly, pulling slightly away from Nick's embrace, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

The way the blonde was biting at his lower lip from nerves was enough to get Nick's heart racing. He knew he shouldn't have, but his mind automatically jumped to the worst case scenarios. Had Jeff come to his senses and realized he didn't want Nick after all? Had he cheated? "Wh-what's wrong, Six?"

Jeff's eyes widened at the scared look on Nick's face. "What? Oh, God! No! Nothing bad. At least, I hope not. I just—um, come with me." Jeff grabbed Nick's hand and began to pull him in the direction of the choir room. No one was inside, but Nick was honestly waiting for Warblers to just appear. It was very rare that none of them were sitting around practicing this song or that harmony.

Jeff sat Nick down on one of the couches and walked over to grab his own guitar which had taken up residency on a shelf in the room. "I remember Blaine telling me that you're a big Reliant K fan." He flashed a crooked smile as he slid the guitar strap over his shoulder and walked back to sit on the couch beside Nick. "Three, I heard what you said about me back there. The way you stood up for me made me realize something.

"Six, of course I stood up for you. I-I really care about you. You're my boyfriend, and Dean's an ass that deserves every bad thing that's coming for him.

The blonde smiled and pressed his lips to Nick's cheek for a moment before pulling away and adjusting the guitar so that he could play it comfortably while sitting cross-legged, facing Nick. "I—I need to tell you something. But I want you to hear this song first."

_I've given up on giving up slowly_

_I'm blending in, so you won't even know me_

_Apart from this whole world that shares my fate_

As Jeff sang, he thought back to a month ago. Back to when Nick barely even talked to him. Back to before he was a Warbler. Back to when he was failing chemistry because he was too lost in his daydreams to focus on reality.

In that moment, he realized just how much everything had changed for him. Nick and he talked several times a day, he was one of the lead Warblers—right next to Kurt, Blaine, and Nick—and Kurt had been tutoring him in chemistry to get him caught up. Everything was so different, and he had no intentions of going back to that time.

_This one last bullet, you mention_

_Is my one last shot at redemption_

_Because I know to live, you must give your life away_

Nick watched in awe as Jeff sang to him. Any doubt that he may have had about his feelings towards the blonde vanished as he saw the care reflecting in those bright brown eyes.

_And I've been housing all this doubt and insecurity_

_And I've been locked inside this house, all the while you hold the key_

_And I've been dying to get out, and that might be the death of me_

_And even though there's no way of knowing_

_Where to go, I promise I'm going_

Nick couldn't believe it had already been a month. It seemed like it was only yesterday that he was singing with the blonde for the first time. It had been the shortest month of his life, but it was also the best. All the memories, things he had learned, and all of the things to come just made the smile on Nick's face widen as he continued to watch Jeff sing to him.

_I gotta get outta here_

_I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake_

_I gotta get outta here_

_And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging you_

_To be my escape_

As the last line to the chorus left Jeff's lips, he realized that Nick was what he had been looking for, what he had needed to find. And now that he was with him, he could be the person he had been hiding away because Nick would never judge him for being who he was.

_I'm giving up on doing this alone now_

_'Cause I've failed and I'm ready to be shown how_

_He's told me the way, and I'm trying to get there_

Nick smiled at that verse because it reminded him of the relationship that was slowly but surely blooming between Kurt and Blaine. His friends had been seeing each other—officially, at least—for about a week now. Blaine had grown tired of waiting, and Kurt had grown tired of pretending he didn't feel the same. His hesitance was purely an effort to not hurt Sam's feelings, but he couldn't deny himself the one thing that was making him happy. Sometimes, you have to be a little selfish.

_I am a hostage to my own humanity_

_Self-detained and forced to live in this mess I've made_

_And all I'm asking is for you to do what you can with me_

_But I can't ask you to give what you already gave_

As Jeff sang, Nick realized that that was exactly what he was doing. The doubt he had in the back of his mind was from the fear that Jeff would leave him. The fact was that Nick needed reassurance, but he hadn't realized that that was something that the blonde gave to him with every kiss, every hug, every smile and knowing glance, every song or dance they shared, and in every moment that they spent together.

_'Cause I've been housing all this doubt and insecurity_

_And I've been locked inside this house, all the while you hold the key_

_And I've been dying to get out, and that might be the death of me_

Jeff never broke eye contact with Nick as he sang, realizing the truth in the words. He had been hiding all of his insecurities under a mask, but he knew that if he wanted this to go on longer, he would have to let Nick in. It was hard to allow him as close as he already was, but as he sang he could feel that last wall crumbling down in front of him.

_I fought you for so long_

_I should have let you in_

_Oh, how we regret those things we do_

Jeff had been alone for too long now, and he was finally ready to just _be_. He was ready to completely let Nick in, to surrender to the love that was in front of him. He couldn't believe that it was happening, but he knew that it was something he would never regret, and he knew that Nick felt the same—especially if that awestruck look in his eye was any indication.

He looked away to focus on getting the last few chords right, knowing that they were important because they explained everything Jeff had been feeling.

Any doubt was based on the fear that Nick wouldn't be there when he woke up in the morning or that he wouldn't love him back, but Nick was experiencing the same problem. Any hesitance was merely based around fear, but Jeff was done being afraid.

_And all I was trying to do_

_Was save my own skin_

_But so were you_

_So were you_

As the last note was strummed, Jeff cleared his throat and looked up again to meet those perfect brown eyes in front of him. "So, what I wanted to say was—"

"I love you."

Jeff cocked his head to the side and slid the guitar off, placing it gently on the floor. "How'd you know what I was going to say?"

Nick smiled softly at the endearing boy in front of him. "No, Jeff. I," he slid closer to the blonde, adding emphasis to the word, "love you." Nick pressed his lips to Jeff's lightly, pulling away, but keeping their foreheads touching.

Jeff blushed and looked back into the brown eyes in front of him. All he could see was pure honesty and affection. "Oh," he grinned with a sparkle in his brilliant brown eyes, "well, in that case, I love you, too."

* * *

Be My Escape- Relient K [ _Jeff_ ]

**Complete**


End file.
